The
Reelfoot of the Siskiyou
Mountains, that is--called "Club Foot" south of the California border.
There were many other Reelfoots and Clubfoots, one Reelfoot inhabited
the Napa County area and
was killed in 1898. Charles M. Russell wrote a story
about another Reelfoot, setting the tale in Montana in the 1870s.

The Siskiyou Reelfoot, 1890s.

"Old Reelfoot" Evaded Guns and
Traps for Many Years

The story of "Old Reelfoot," for which Mount Grizzly was named [Grizzly Peak was not named for
Reelfoot. It was named for the bear that tried to eat Henry
Chapman--on
Grizzly Peak.]
has been gathered by Vernon Hopkins, prominent valley sportsman,
rancher and trapper, who obtained the authentic story from members of
pioneer families who knew of the famous outlaw grizzly.
Hopkins,
a member of an old pioneer family, is interested in gathering
historical facts and pictures of the valley. His grandfather, Geo. H.
Bailey, is mentioned as one of the hunters in the following story. The
pictures and information are published through the courtesy of George
F. Wright, nephew of William A. Wright and Robert and Fred Bean of
Phoenix, sons of Purl Bean. Mrs. Mildred Ager of Memory Lane Studio
assisted in compiling the facts into the following story. Other
pictures of "Old Reelfoot" may be seen in the windows of Memory Lane
Studio. Back in
the 1860s, grizzly bears were quite
numerous in Southern Oregon and Northern California. As most of these
were only average grizzlies, little attention was paid to those killed.
Around 1869 an enormous grizzly made his appearance on this range in
both Klamath and Jackson counties, his favorite haunts being the wild
canyon region of the Siskiyou Mountains in the neighborhood of Pilot
Rock, and thence eastward [sic]
to Mt. Pitt. There he started his notorious career of killing cattle,
and except for his huge tracks there was no way of distinguishing his
killings from those of other grizzlies. He was of gigantic proportions,
even more prodigious in strength and ferocity than the grizzlies
usually found roaming the mountains, the difference shown in his finer
hair. This race of mightier grizzlies were well known in California in
the days of the earlier settlers, and they were greatly feared, but
there are only a few of the monsters left, and these inhabit regions
seldom or never penetrated by man. His
peculiar track was caused
by the loss of three of the claws of his left forefoot, which he had
torn off in a huge trap set by Bruce Grieve of Fall Creek, a well-known
stockman and noted bear hunter. The loss of these claws caused the left
foot to turn outward at the heel as he walked, and hence the name "Old
Reelfoot," or "Clubfoot." The less
crafty grizzlies disappeared
rapidly from this range, but Reelfoot had become a terror to the
stockmen of the country. He was well known by his tracks and by the way
he killed and afterwards treated his victims. Hundreds of cattle were
killed by him in the mountains, and his tremendous strength enabled him
to kill a full-grown steer with as much ease as an ordinary bear would
kill a calf. It was
known that he would rush upon a steer,
usually from a point of vantage on an elevation above his victim,
bearing him to the ground with his immense weight and strength, would
close his powerful jaws over the animal's back, just behind the
shoulders, and crush the bones of the shoulder and back just as a
terrier would kill a rat. Many were the cows and steers that were found
killed this way, and about the carcass would be found the telltale
tracks of Old Reelfoot. He
continued his raids on the herds,
while eluding the most carefully made trap sets and skilled hunters.
Most bears after killing an animal will eat of the carcass until it is
about all consumed, but this cunning fellow, apparently knowing the
danger to himself from the rifles of hunters would hardly ever return
to a carcass after leaving it, and seldom ate more than one meal from a
beef that he killed. By keeping well concealed in the daytime and
traveling at a rate almost impossible for man or horse to keep up with
in the mountains, the bear had baffled the efforts of the best
hunters
in
Oregon and Northern California to kill or trap him. He was seldom, if
ever, seen
by the hunters, but his
unmistakable tracks were often found, and his trail could be followed
by the dead cattle left in his path. Among
those having the
larger herds and suffering the heavier losses were Major Barron of
Ashland and Dave Horn of Hornbrook. These stockmen, along with others,
finally combined and offered a reward of $2700 for his scalp.
This stimulated the hunters of this region to extraordinary
efforts,
and many a hard day's tramp and lonely night's watch resulted only in
confirming the hunters in the belief that Reelfoot could not
be
caught. William A.
Wright tried repeatedly to
trap him, but
always failed. Then he tried the plan of setting a loaded gun to kill
him. The intelligence and cunning of the bear was soon evident. Mr.
Wright at one time arranged a loaded gun in such a way
that he thought it impossible for the bear to get at the bait without
standing where he would receive the charge of the gun, and his
astonishment was great when he found that the bear had studied out the
combination for himself, and had taken the bait without being hurt by
the discharge of the gun. He
approached the gun from the lower side of
the tree, where Mr. Wright thought he could not get, and then rising
upon his hind feet and placing one paw against the tree for support, he
had reached around with the other paw and taken the bait. The gun went
off all right, but the bear was safe, for he was on the side of the
tree next to the butt of the gun. The record of the whole proceedings
was left in the soft ground about the tree (for it was muddy at the
time), and in the mud [the] imprint of the bear's actions were shown
almost as certainly as if he had been seen touching off the gun. Again
and again Mr. Wright tried every plan known to hunters to effect his
capture, but always failed, and for a time gave up trying to kill him. Hunting
parties of five or more together hunted for him again and
again, but all to no avail. His tracks were seen and he was known to be
in the vicinity, but he kept out of sight and far in advance of the
hunters. Among others who had tried repeatedly to hunt down the bear
were George Crook, George H. Bailey, Henry Moore, W. H. and Joe
Shepherd, William Hollingsworth and Thomas Wright. On April
10, 1890, William A. Wright
and Purl Bean, the latter a boy of 17, started out to try once more to
capture Reelfoot. After a long and weary tramp over the rough
country southeast of Pilot Rock in northern Siskiyou Country, they came
upon Reelfoot's tracks. After many hours of careful tracking, they
sighted the great bear on the far side of a deep canyon as he raised
from his bed made from a flattened woodrat nest.
Two shots rang out, followed by the deafening roar of the enraged
grizzly as he charged the hunters. The men bravely stood their ground,
firing shot after shot into the charging bear. In spite of the great
worth done by the hounds, the giant bear was within 40 feet of the
hunters when he sank to the ground. The deep canyons echoed with the
blood-curdling wails--such as only a dying bear can make. Then all was
still. Thus ended
the memorable career of Southern Oregon's great grizzly "Reelfoot."
Reelfoot weighed 1892 pounds--a weight reached by very few bears in
history. Other dimensions were: length from nose to tail, 7 feet;
height 3 feet 4½ inches; width across hips: 2 feet, 4
inches; hind
foot, 16 inches in length; length of claws, 4¾ inches, and
head from
nose to top 18 inches.Ashland Tidings, February
16, 1948, page 2

Wright & Bear 1890Copied and Written by George Wright
1952 [apparently from a
much earlier manuscript]

The
following print sketch of the career of "Old Reelfoot" is a plain,
unvarnished statement of the facts of interest concerning his years of
depredation upon the livestock in the mountains of Southern Oregon, the
many unsuccessful attempts to capture him, his death at last by the
rifles of those who now have the fur on exhibition, and a description
of the size, endurance, characteristics and habits of the great animal.
"Reelfoot" has been known as a denizen
of the
mountainous region of Jackson and Klamath counties, in Oregon, for more
than twenty-odd years, his favorite haunts being in the wild canyon
region of the Siskiyou Mountains in the neighborhood of Pilot Rock, and
thence eastward to Mt. Pitt. He is of gigantic proportions and even
more prodigious in strength and ferocity than the grizzlies now roaming
the mountains, the difference showing in the finer hair of "Old
Reelfoot." This race of mightier grizzlies was well known in California
in days of earlier settlement, and they were greatly feared, but there
are now only a few of the monsters left, and these inhabit regions
seldom or never penetrated by man.
As remarked, "Reelfoot" had been a
terror to the
stockmen of the country for years. He was well known by his tracks, and
[was] like "Jack the Ripper" by the way he killed and afterwards
treated his victims. Hundreds of cattle have been killed by him in the
mountains, and his prodigious strength enabled him to kill a full-grown
steer with as much ease as an ordinary bear would kill a calf. It was
known that he would rush upon a steer, usually from a point of vantage
on an elevation above the fated bovine, and bearing him to the ground
with his immense weight and strength would close his powerful jaws over
the animal's back, just behind the shoulders, and crush the bones of
the shoulder and back, just as a terrier would kill a rat. Many are the
cows and steers that have been found killed in this way, and about the
carcass would be found the telltale tracks of "Old Reelfoot."
"Reelfoot" possessed a remarkable
cunning in eluding
the many hunters who pursued him, and in avoiding the dangers of the
many traps that were set for him. Most bears, after killing an animal,
will eat of the carcass until it is about all consumed, but this
cunning fellow, apparently knowing the danger to himself from the
rifles of hunters who would watch near an animal that he had killed to
get a shot at him, would hardly ever return to a carcass after leaving
it, and seldom ate more than one meal from a beef that he had killed.
It took a cow or a steer for every meal that he made on fresh beef. By
keeping well concealed in the daytime and traveling at a rate almost
impossible for man or horse to keep up with in the mountains, the bear
for many years past had baffled the efforts of the best hunters in
Oregon and California to kill or trap him. He was seldom, if ever, seen
by the hunters, but his
unmistakable tracks were often found, and his trail could be followed
often by the dead cattle left in his path. The stockmen of the country,
after many losses, finally combined and offered a reward for his scalp.
This stimulated the hunters of this region to an extraordinary effort,
and many a hard day's tramp and lonely night's watch resulted only in
confirming the hunters in the belief that "Reelfoot" could not be
caught.
William A. Wright tried repeatedly to
trap him, but
always failed. Then he tried the plan of setting a loaded gun to kill
him. The intelligence and cunning of the bear may be imagined from the
following. Mr. Wright at one time arranged a loaded gun in such a way
that he thought it impossible for the bear to get at the bait without
standing where he would receive the contents of the gun, and his
astonishment was great when he found that the bear had studied out the
combination for himself, and had taken the bait without being hurt by
the discharge of the gun. He approached the gun from the lower side of
the tree, where Mr. Wright thought he could not get, and then rising
upon his hind feet and placing one paw against the tree for support, he
had reached around with the other paw and taken the bait. The gun went
off all right, but the bear was safe, for he was on the side of the
tree next to the butt of the gun. The record of the whole proceeding
was left in the soft ground about the tree (for it was muddy at the
time), and in the muddy imprint the bear's actions were known
almost as certainly as if he had been seen touching off the gun. Again
and again Mr. Wright tried every plan known to hunters to effect his
capture, but always failed, and for a time gave up trying to kill him.
Later, Bruce Grieve tried his hand at
trapping him,
and after repeated efforts finally succeeded in catching him by the
toenails of the left front paw, three of which were left in the trap as
stated above. At one time George Cook had the good fortune to get a
shot at the noted bear, and lodged a rifle ball in his shoulder, where
it was found when the bear was killed. Hunting parties of five or more
together hunted for him again and again, but all to no purpose. His
tracks were seen and he was known to be in the vicinity, but he kept
out of sight and far in advance of the hunters. A party of good hunters
started out in pursuit of him at one time and succeeded in finding the
tracks and following them for several days, but failed to get a sight
of the bear and finally became discouraged and disheartened and
returned to their homes.
Many good hunters have hunted this bear
for days in
succession without once seeing him and would finally give it up, to
again and again try it without success.
Among others who have tried repeatedly
to hunt down
this bear the writer knows of the following, all of whom are good
hunters and experienced mountaineers and thoroughly familiar with the
region in which "Reelfoot" made his haunts, namely: Messrs. Wm. A.
Wright, Bruce Grieve, George Cook, George H. Bailey, Henry Moore, W. H.
and Joe Shepherd, William Hollingsworth, Thomas J. Wright and others
whose names I do not recall.
On the 5th of April, 1890, five good
hunters started
out for a hunt for this famous bear. Soon after starting they concluded
to separate, three going in a northerly direction and the other two
going in a westerly direction. The country most frequented by the bear
is one of exceeding grandeur, with its high peaks and deep, rocky
canyons mostly covered by thick brush, and consequently one that was
very difficult for man or beast to travel over. These men were fully
determined to capture the bear if possible. Let me assure the reader
that it was no boy's play to hunt over these mountains in snow from
three to four feet in depth, as it was at that time. They went up steep
mountainsides and down into deep canyons whose sides were covered with
thick brush. The two men who were together at last found the tracks of
the bear and thought it best to let the rest of the company know of the
finding of the trail. They at once started in search of the remainder
of the party, and after tramping up hill and down for three miles they
found them and reported. After a short rest they all started for the
trail, and after reading it they then commenced a weary tramp of many
miles. At last they sighted the bear, far in advance. One of the party,
being the owner of some dogs brought along for the purpose, very soon
turned the canines loose upon the bear's trail against the expressed
wishes of the rest of the company, and in consequence both bear and
dogs kept out of the way of the hunters in pursuit, and the chase ended
unsuccessfully again. Weary and disheartened, the men were forced to
return to [their] homes and leave the bear, much to their regret. Owing
to the result of this hunt, two of the number then and there made up
their minds to try it again and by themselves, which they accordingly
did, and it resulted in the final capture of "Old Reelfoot"--a matter
of vital importance to all stockmen of the country over which he roamed.
On the 10th of April, 1890, these two,
Wm. A. Wright
and Purl Bean, the latter a mere boy in years but of undoubted courage
and hardihood for one of his age, started out to try once more to
capture the bear. After a long and weary tramp over a very rough
country they came suddenly upon the object of their hunt, high in the
Siskiyous, not far from Pilot Rock. They both at once fired upon him,
and both balls took effect. As soon as shot, "Reelfoot" showed fight
and made for the hunters with great fury, tearing up with his teeth
large grubs and brush in his anger as he went. The men bravely stood
their ground and kept firing at him as fast as possible and with good
effect. Two of the shots struck him in the head, and in consequence he
began to show signs of weakening but still continued to try to get at
his assailants. The men stood bravely up to their task, firing as fast
as they could and notwithstanding the great work being done by dogs the
hunters had loosed against the bear at the first shots. The brute was
within forty feet of the men when he unexpectedly toppled over, and the
scourge of the stockmen was at an end, for "Reelfoot" was dead.
Thus ended the career of this
much-feared and noted bear. Herewith appended are the dimensions of the
bear:
Length, 7 feet from end of nose to tail.
Height, 3 feet 4½ inches.
Width across hips, 2 feet 4½ inches.
Length of claws, 4½ inches.
Length of head, 18 inches.
Width between ears, 10½ inches.
Measurement of head around the jaws and front of ears, 42½
inches.
Weight eighteen hundred pounds (1,800 pounds).From
a manuscript in the possession of Jody Brockhausen,
great-great-granddaughter of William Alfred White. Some of
the text is repeated from the 1948 Ashland Tidings article, above.

Death of Siskiyou's Old Reelfoot
RecalledGrizzly Among Worst Stock-Killing Bears
in Southern OregonBy DALE VINCENT

Just
to mention the name of "Old Reelfoot," the grizzly, back in the '70s
and '80s, was enough to raise the hair on a brave man's neck--and to
make the frontier women call their kids inside their log cabins and
drop the bar across the door.
"Old Reelfoot" was one of the worst
stock-killing
grizzlies the West has ever known--crafty, and with immense strength,
he would fell a beef critter with one blow, crush its spine with his
powerful jaws, and eat his fill. For 20 years, from 1870 to 1890, Old
Reelfoot killed literally hundreds of cattle.Bear's Home Range
His home range was along the
Oregon-California
border, between Klamath River on the east and Pilot Rock on the west--a
wild, rough piece of mountain country. Here on Camp Creek Bill Wright
had a small, one-man cow outfit, a log cabin that sat on a bench
overlooking his corrals and a hay meadow.
On a spring day in 1890, old Bill saw a
large, brown
grizzly bear rush from the edge of the timber straight across his
meadow toward one of his bulls. The bull raised his head and snorted,
but too late. The huge grizzly had felled him with one blow, and his
powerful jaws crunched through his backbone. The bull sank to the
ground.
Bill hurriedly took down his rifle from
the buckhorn
rack on the wall. Levering open the loading gate, he slipped home a
cartridge. A few more he put into his pocket, and without a backward
glance moved silently out of the cabin.Good Hunter
Bill was a good hunter. He had been
raised in this
wild frontier country, and he knew that a grizzly was "bad medicine."
He
swung in a wide circle until within 100 yards of the dead bull, then he
stopped to listen. Everywhere was silence. He moved on to within 25
yards, but could see no bear. He stood, watching and listening, until
finally a sense of being alone settled quietly over him. Then
methodically he cut for tracks, and in the soil Bill found the huge
print of a left front paw. Three toes were missing, unmistakably the
brand of Old Reelfoot.
Bill Wright remembered when Bruce Grieve
had tried
to trap this great silver-tip, and after a number of failures had
finally succeeded in catching him by the toes of the left front paw.
Three of these toes were left in the trap, the toenails measuring
4½ inches long. From then on the grizzly was known as
Reelfoot.
Bill also remembered that Major Barron,
a cattleman
of the Pilot Rock country, had tacked a notice on a pine tree which
read: "A reward of $500 will be paid by me to the man who can prove he
killed Old Reelfoot--Major Barron, Ashland, Ore."Personal Pledges
Soon other stockmen joined the major in
tacking
their own personal pledges on the tree. Smaller ranchers offered $25,
others $50. A few went to $100, and in the year 1889 the tree trunk was
plastered with pledges that, when totaled, came to the prodigious sum
of $1,700. In those days, truly a reward worth going after.
Many mountaineers had taken up the
trail. Each had
sworn he would nail the big bear's hide to his cabin wall, but each had
failed. Old Reelfoot was a ghost that vanished so rapidly not even a
man on horseback had ever caught up with him.
In every case, Old Reelfoot had won out
over the
best hunters in the Siskiyous. The far-flung trail of mutilated beef
carcasses had continued. Invariably each beef would have its backbone
crushed, and around the kill would be found the telltale track of Old
Reelfoot. But the big grizzly knew the ways of man--knew that distance
meant safety--and he rapidly put much of it behind him.Slow Anger Starts
Now, right in his own pasture, the
infamous old
grizzly had killed Bill Wright's best bull. A slow anger started to
burn in the old man's chest--an anger that grew until he could think of
nothing else--and as Bill Wright walked back to his cabin, he knew that
either he or Old Reelfoot was going to die.
Carefully, Bill laid his plans. He rode
down [the]
creek and asked Purl Bean to go on the hunt with him. Purl was only 17
years old then, but already a good mountaineer, a crack shot, and an
exceptional tracker.
Purl brought along his 44-40 Winchester,
and a
wicked-looking homemade hunting knife. Bill Wright took his 56-52
rimfire Spencer. They both carried light packs, extra ammunition, and
jerked venison.
They took off on the cooling tracks of
the big
grizzly that led up Camp Creek into the wild Siskiyou Mountains. At
dusk the men camped on Soda Mountain, built a small fire and ate some
of the jerky. Then, lying close to the coals, they slept soundly.Rough Country
They felt the old grizzly was traveling
while they
slept, so at the first cold light of dawn they were on the
trail--gnawing jerky as they fought their way around the mountainside.
The tracks led over the roughest kind of country, and frequently they
lost valuable time in searching for "signs." At other times the trail
was clear, often marked by torn-up rotted logs where the bear had
searched for grubs.
Reelfoot's trail soon gave evidence that
he knew he was being followed. He took off straight west
over the roughest country the Siskiyous could offer--through tangled
masses of brush, across steep canyons--and then at last he doubled back
toward the head of Camp Creek.
They caught sight of him once as he
moved uphill and
into the snow, almost to the crest of the Siskiyous. It was more
difficult for Reelfoot to break trail through the crusted snow, and
easier for them to follow.Frosty Morning
It was on the cold frosty morning of
April 10, 1890,
in a brushy, snow-choked draw off the head of Camp Creek, just three
miles east [George
Wright says three miles south] of Pilot Rock, that the two
mountaineers came into an opening in the trees and there--less than 80
yards away--stood Reelfoot.
Bill Wright and Purl Bean pulled up
short. Men and
bear stood facing each other. Standing on his hind feet the big grizzly
spread his huge arms wide and charged straight for them.
The bear came forward with a rocking
motion. Hate
glared from the fierce black eyes, and breath came from his nostrils
like smoke in the frosty air.
Bill snugged a leathery cheek to the
stock of his
rimfire Spencer, and putting the front bead on the bear's throat he
turned loose the first shot. Deliberately, he levered out the empty
shell and placed a new cartridge in the chamber.Drops to Knee
Purl Bean had dropped to one knee, and
the boy's
repeating Winchester was sending one 44 slug after the other into the
old bear's chest.
But a grizzly is hard to kill--and the
leaden slugs
seemed only to madden him. Thoroughly enraged, the grizzly came toward
them--tearing up brush with his teeth and sending snow and sticks
flying with his mighty paws.
At 30 yards Old Reelfoot stumbled and
went down,
fighting the reddening snow. The men stopped firing and stood watching.
For a moment the bear lay quiet, then as the black-powder smoke drifted
away, Old Reelfoot slowly got to his feet. He stood, dazed and blinded,
sniffing the air. Then the big bear's nostrils got the scent and he
came toward the men. There was still crushing strength in those
powerful arms.
Bill and the boy fired point black at
the head and
throat--still it seemed as if nothing would stop that last rush. With
terrifying speed the distance between men and beast was being used up.Bear Drops
Then, suddenly, as if hit in the head
with a
poleaxe, the bear dropped--stone dead--20 feet from where they stood.
Purl Bean's hunting knife was nine
inches long, and
with this as a "ruler" they computed the following measurements:
length, 8 feet; width of chest, 40 inches; length of claws,
4½
inches; width between the ears 10½ inches; around head in
front
of ears, 42 inches. Bill Wright at the time estimated the bear's weight
to be 1,800 pounds.
Horses were brought in, and the hide was
packed out. The bear had been hit 10 times in many different places.
Old Reelfoot was mounted and placed on a
wagon,
drawn by mules. This wagon exhibit was shown many places throughout the
West, and finally disappeared.Contacts Museums
Gordon Jacobs, Hornbrook, Calif., was
there in 1890
when the bear was killed, and has spent a number of years and quite a
sum of money trying to locate the mounted Reelfoot. He cabled the
London museum and also the museum in Paris, because one of the soldiers
who returned from World War I reported that he saw the stuffed bear in
Europe. The museums were very cooperative. They put in months of
research, looked over many museums in Europe, and in the United States.
They bent over backward in trying to help. But to this day, Jacobs has
never found one lead as to where the old bear disappeared.
The only things remaining are some
photos and one
claw which is on exhibit in the museum at Yreka--one of the claws that
was left in Bruce Grieve's trap.Furnished
Information
Norman Campbell, gunsmith, who lives in
Gold Hill,
lived on Camp Creek at the time the bear was killed and furnished
information about the guns and ammunition used by Wright and Bean.
Bill Wright's nephew, George Wright, now
lives a few
miles out of Hornbrook, Calif. and still has his uncle's old 56-52
Spencer.
Fred Bean, Purl Bean's son, now lives in
Phoenix,
Ore. and provided the pictures and much of the data contained in this
account.Medford
Mail Tribune, March 17, 1957, page 12 There are significant
differences between Vincent's account and George Wright's.

The Truth About
"Reelfoot"By Geo. F. Wright
April 10, 1958

In
the past few years I have been urged by many people to write the facts
concerning the noted grizzly bear, "Reelfoot," and after much thought
and consideration I have decided it would be proper and fitting to do
so, for I have spent sixty-two years in the Siskiyou Mountains where
"Reelfoot" once roamed. In earlier years the story was told to me many
times by one of the bear's slayers, my uncle, Wm. A. Wright, also by my
father, Thos. J. Wright, who hunted unsuccessfully for the bear, as did
other early settlers.

George
Wright with the Spencer 56-46 and the No. 6 Newhouse
that claimed Reelfoot's toenails.

Although
my experience as a writer is little, and my
school days were few, I will try to give to my readers this print
sketch of the plain, unpolished statement of facts concerning this
grizzly monarch, and the events relative to his career of violence
among the herds of cattle in the Siskiyou Mountains and vicinity for
more than twenty years, the many unsuccessful attempts to capture him,
and his death at last by the rifles of Wm. A. Wright and Purl R. Bean.
As there has been so much told and printed about this bear, which in
most cases is incomplete, or of dubious validity, many stories of
speculation, misstatement and wild guesses [are] told and printed about
this cattle-killing grizzly.
"Reelfoot" was tough and he lived to be
old, his
teeth were short and worn from many years of hard usage, and he was one
of the largest grizzlies killed anywhere. Many incidents were related
of the wanton killing of cattle in the vicinity of Pilot Rock and Jenny
Creek; cattle men were awed by the giant size and his cunningness. The
stories and killings of other grizzlies have about all been forgotten,
but the tale of "Reelfoot" is still told.
The end of "Reelfoot" was a dawn of a
new era for
the cattle men, an era free from the torment of cattle losses. He was
hated, feared and hunted, but always respected; after sixty-nine years
his stuffed hide is still hunted.
I have often heard said that all things
must someday
come to an end. How true this was of the grizzly race after the coming
of the white man, with his onslaught of expanding progress for fortune
and fame; his onward push of the cattle industry into the remote areas
spelled the end of at least one of the last remaining grizzlies.
Many years have passed since grizzly
bears roamed
the forest of southern Oregon and northern California, particularly in
the Siskiyou Mountains, but the memory of "Reelfoot" still lingers.
Tales of his great size, immense strength, his ability to outwit the
human schemes to kill him, coupled with his uncanny instincts, are told
wherever oldtimers meet.
During the late 1880s it was believed
that
"Reelfoot" was the last remaining grizzly in an [area] around the
Siskiyou Mountains; however, in the spring of 1890, a large grizzly was
killed in the vicinity of Secret Mountain by Rod. M. Frain, W. L. Frain
and Frank Ream. This bear had killed a number of cattle in the
mountains surrounding Butte Valley; a $500.00 reward was offered for
his scalp. To my knowledge, the last known grizzly to roam the Siskiyou
Mountains was killed in 1902 by Gordon Jacobs of Hornbrook, California,
along the California-Oregon border west of Hilt. However, grizzly
tracks were reported later.
When the rich and fertile lands of
Siskiyou and
Jackson counties were first settled and herds of cattle began to graze
the surrounding hillsides, grizzly bears were quite numerous. As most
of these were only average grizzlies, little attention was paid to
those killed. Cattle men were expanding their land and increasing their
herds; grizzlies were also increasing their forays. Cattle men hunted
and killed, poisoned and trapped bears, while hunters and trappers
killed them for food, until the grizzly bear population was reduced
considerably. But still the number of cattle killed was at an alarming
figure, and it became evident as time went on that two large grizzlies
were doing most of the killing.
At that time the Grieve brothers were in
the cattle
business along Jenny Creek, and they also lost cattle. One of the
brothers, Robert Bruce Grieve, an experienced hunter and trapper, set a
trap in the vicinity of Skookum Gulch, and in time caught a huge female
grizzly, said to be the largest yet killed in the Siskiyou Mountains.
But still the cattle losses went on, and it was evident that one
overgrown bear was doing the killing. For some time the cattle men
tried to trap and poison him, and many hunted for him. Except for the
huge tracks there was no way to distinguish his killings from other
grizzlies'; he was of gigantic size, and the way he killed full-grown
cattle was beyond the imagination of men.
Robert Bruce Grieve tried his luck at
setting a trap
for the bear in the Skookum Gulch area, and after repeated efforts
succeeded in getting him in a trap, but he escaped, leaving three of
his toenails in the trap. This made his left front footprint appear
like it was turned in a little, hence the name "Reelfoot."
It was found that he roamed a great
expanse of
territory, his reelfoot tracks telling of his visits in many places. He
would disappear from the Pilot Rock and Jenny Creek area for as long as
six months at a time. Oldtimers claimed that he went as far as Silver
Lake, Oregon. He seemed to kill, eat and move on, although his main
travels were along the California-Oregon border between the Klamath
River on the east and Pilot Rock on the west. His enormous strength and
weight enabled him to kill a full-grown beef with as little effort as
an ordinary bear would kill a calf. He would rush upon a beef, usually
from a point of vantage on an elevation above his prey, and bear it to
the ground, would close his powerful jaws over the animal's back just
behind the shoulders, and crush the bones of the shoulder and back.
Cows and steers killed in this manner had about the carcasses tracks of
"Reelfoot."
In the spring of 1882, J. D. Williams,
of Ashland,
Oregon, was herding his flock of sheep in the vicinity of Bald
Mountain. He witnessed one of "Reelfoot's" battles. His sheep were
grazing on a hillside; below him in a glade a bunch of cattle under the
leadership of a big bull belonging to David M. Horn, Sr. were quietly
feeding. The instant the bear appeared Williams took to a tree and
viewed the struggle from that vantage point at a distance of some fifty
yards. The unsuspecting cattle did not see the bear until he rushed in
and killed a calf standing beside its mother. The cow attempted to
defend her calf, but a stroke from the big paw left the cow dead. The
bull charged down upon the bear; "Reelfoot" was knocked off his feet by
the impact. He arose with a growl and charged the bull several times
until he succeeded in seizing the bull and bringing him to his death.
The bear made a meal of the calf, then wallowed in a mudhole and left.
Williams identified the bear by the tracks after the fight was over.
William A. Wright tried repeatedly to
trap him but
always failed. He then tried out a plan of setting his 50-70 Sharps
carbine to kill him. The intelligence and cunningness of the bear was
soon evident. Wright arranged his loaded carbine, tied to a tree along
Slide Creek, in such a way that he thought it impossible for the bear
to get at the bait without standing where he would receive the bullet
from the carbine. The bear approached the bait from the lower side of
the tree, reached around the tree, and started to pull the bait away
when the carbine was discharged, but the bullet missed. Again and again
Wright tried every plan known to effect his capture, but always failed,
so for a time gave it up.
So for several years the herds of cattle
were being
depleted by this grizzly's vicious acts. The cattle men banded together
and offered a sizable reward for his capture. Among those having the
largest herds and suffering the heaviest losses were Major Barron of
Ashland, Oregon, and David M. Horn, Sr. of Hornbrook, California. These
cattle men, along with others, combined and offered a reward of
$2,700.00 to any person or persons who could prove the killing of
"Reelfoot." This stimulated the hunters of this region to extraordinary
efforts, and many hard days' tramp and many lonely nights by campfires
resulted only in confirming the hunters in the belief that "Reelfoot"
could not be caught.
Hunters and cattle men, singly and in
groups, hunted
for him again and again, but all to no avail. His tracks were often
seen, and he was known to be in the vicinity, but he kept out of the
sight of the hunters.
"Reelfoot" possessed a remarkable
cunningness in
eluding all his pursuers, avoiding the dangers of the many traps set
for him. He would seldom return to a kill after he had eaten a meal. It
took a beef for every meal. By keeping well concealed in the daytime
and traveling at a rate almost impossible for a man or horse to keep up
with him, the bear for many years baffled the efforts of the best
hunters to kill or trap him.
George Cook, a noted hunter and guide,
put in quite
a lot of time seeking "Reelfoot," and had the good fortune to get a
shot at the noted bear; a 38-55 rifle bullet [was] lodged in his
shoulder, where it was found flattened against the shoulder blade after
the bear was killed years later.
During the spring following the hard
winter of 1889
and 1890 hundreds of cattle had just been loosened on the range land to
graze the southward slopes of hillsides between Hornbrook and Pilot
Rock. "Reelfoot" frequently roamed the Pilot Rock area during the early
spring, and it was believed he denned up in that area.
On April 4, 1890, William A. Wright
saddled his
horse on his home ranch at Camp Creek and rode to Hornbrook. On his
return he met Pedro Smith, who lived on his homestead at the head of
Dry Creek, on his way to Klamathon. He reported to Wright the killing
of a cow by "Reelfoot" along Dry Creek, belonging to David M. Horn, Sr.
The incident was also reported around Klamathon town. Wright continued
on his way, stopping at the ranch of the Bean family on Pine Creek. He
invited Purl R. Bean to go with him the following day to hunt for the
cattle-killing bear. Bean, an experienced hunter himself, was delighted
to try his luck. The next morning on arriving at the Bean ranch Wright
found three other hunters eager to accompany them on the hunt. On that
day, April 5, 1890, the five hunters started after the famous bear,
fully determined to capture him if possible. They desired to separate,
three going in a different direction than the other two. The country
was exceedingly rough, with its high peaks and deep rocky canyons,
mostly covered with thick brush and deep snow on the north hillsides,
consequently one that was very difficult for man or beast to travel
over.
The two men, William A. Wright and Purl
R. Bean, who
were together, found fresh tracks of the bear, and thought it best to
report the finding to the rest of the party. After a brief rest the
five men returned to the spot of fresh tracks, following them for
several miles, soon sighting the bear in the distance. One of the
party, being the owner of some dogs brought along for the purpose,
unleashed them on the bear's trail, against the expressed wishes of the
remainder of the party. Consequently both bear and dogs kept out of
sight of the hunters, so the chase ended unsuccessfully again. Weary
and disheartened after hunting for four days, the men were ready to
return to their homes. Owing to the results of this hunt, William A.
Wright and Purl R. Bean decided to try again later on and by
themselves; in fact they decided on the very next day.

William
A. Wright (left), Purl R. Bean

Both these
men were good hunters and mountaineers
and knew the area they were to cover. Wright was 41 years of age,
seasoned with many years of experience on the frontier and having [had]
three previous narrow escapes from grizzlies. His physical ruggedness
and determined courage fitted him well for the hardships and dangers
often met with on the western frontier. Bean was a youth of 17 [sic] years,
but much older in experience, having grown up in the mountains. He was
a good hunter and a crack shot, endowed with great courage.
So at the dawn of a new day, April 10,
1890, Wright
and Bean, with two dogs, started on a bear hunt that resulted in the
death of the much-feared grizzly, "Reelfoot," and was to grace the
pages of history and the talk of the country far and near for years to
come.
After traveling several miles they came
suddenly
upon the object of their hunt, about three miles south of Pilot Rock,
near Wildcat Gulch, in Siskiyou County, California, and near the Oregon
border.
The bear when first sighted had just
gotten up from
his bed, made on a flattened wood rat's nest. It was believed that he
had gotten the scent of the hunters, and his cunning instinct started
him to move along his way. The hunters were standing on a hillside,
about one hundred feet from the little gulch, looking up at the bear on
the opposite hillside, some three hundred feet from the gulch. They
both at once fired from the rear at a distance of about one hundred and
twenty-five yards as the bear left his bed; both bullets took effect.
As soon as shot he showed fight and made for the hunters, tearing up
with his teeth large shrubs and brush in his anger, and fighting the
two dogs as he came. Blended with the rifle fire was the barking of the
two dogs and the roaring growls of an enraged grizzly bear. The hunters
stood their ground, to kill or be killed, taking good aim and firing as
fast as possible and with good effect. By this time the bear had fought
his way down to the bottom of the gulch, where the dogs "bayed" him for
a few minutes, giving the hunters time to reload their repeating rifles.
Although the bear showed some signs of
weakening,
the dogs were tired also. The men agreed that Wright would shoot for
his head, and Bean for the heart. With their rifles fully loaded again
they started firing; still the weakened bear fought his way up the
hillside of the gulch, trying to get at his assailants. When within
forty feet of the men the great bear unexpectedly toppled over dead.
Thus ended the career of this much-feared and noted grizzly. The
hunters probably breathed a sigh of relief and no doubt felt a
gratitude toward the two dogs for their much-needed help in bringing
their hunt to a successful conclusion.
It was never known how many cattle this
old and
vicious grizzly killed during the twenty-odd years he was known to be a
killer, but the figures were estimated to be in the hundreds.
With horses and sled the two successful
hunters
hauled the bear down from the mountains to the Bean ranch home, and
began to prepare the hide for mounting. It was mounted by an amateur
taxidermist, and in time the hide began to spoil, so it was necessary
to dismount it and it was taken to another taxidermist, but due to the
spoiled condition it was impossible to make a good job of mounting.
This is the reason the mounted animal does not have the exact
appearance of a grizzly bear. Missing is the hump so characteristic of
the grizzly. However, the mounted bear was placed on a wagon drawn by a
team of mules, and displayed for ten cents per person in the towns and
villages throughout western Oregon and northern California.

Wright, a
family man with a ranch and cattle, was
anxious to sell the mounted bear and return to his home; this was
accomplished in, I believe, 1892, for the sum of $500.00. The bear was
then displayed in many cities and towns throughout the United States,
and finally seems to have disappeared. In the late 1930s an effort was
made to locate the mounted bear by Gordon Jacobs and others, to have it
returned and placed in the Siskiyou County Museum in Yreka, California.
Several clues were run down and checked, but to no avail. Servicemen
returning from World War Two from overseas reported that they believed
the bear was in a museum in London, England. So the hunt began again.
All museums in England, France and Germany were contacted without
success. At this writing the whereabouts of the memorable old bear
"Reelfoot" are a mystery.
In 1912 I acquired the number six Newhouse trap used
by Wright to catch the bear. In 1922 I acquired the number six Newhouse
trap from which "Reelfoot" escaped, leaving three of his toenails. This
trap was stolen from my ranch in 1950. In 1924 I became the owner of
the 50-70 Sharps carbine used by Wright as a "set" gun, but this was
destroyed by fire in the same year. The three toenails were for many
years on display at the home ranch of the Grieve brothers; one of them
was stolen. The remaining toenails, which are 4½ inches
long,
are owned by George A. Grieve and are on display at the Siskiyou County
Museum in Yreka, California. I understand at this writing that Mrs.
Mackey, sister of Purl R. Bean, still has the bullets taken from
"Reelfoot" after he was killed. It is not known what became of Bean's
44-40 Winchester Model 1873 rifle, used in the slaying of the bear. The
56-46 Spencer rifle that Wright used was, before coming into the
possession of the Wright family, owned by G. A. Nordheim, an early
California gunsmith of Yreka, California. He had made a target rifle of
the Spencer, by fitting a heavy barrel and set trigger, bringing the
weight to thirteen pounds. I have handled the rifle many times at our
old home ranch on Camp Creek. I have in possession some pictures of the
mounted "Reelfoot."
In conclusion, I hope this article has
given some of
the real facts and will clear up many of the misleading statements that
have been made and printed about "Reelfoot."

By
Geo. F. WrightApril 10, 1958

Transcribed
from a
typescript in the possession of the Rogue Valley Genealogical Society.
Though the typescript is twice dated 1958, on it Wright's ZIP code
is
typed after his address, and a copy of a Reelfoot article from the
August-September 1966 issue of Frontier Times is bound with it. An
undated copy is in the collection of the Southern Oregon Historical
Society, MS1388, Box 1.

Old Reel FootBy G. F. Wright

There's
a range of mountains in the far West, called the Siskiyous, Where the
Indian fights was fought long, long ago,'Twas before the railroads come o'er the
great divide, 'Twas when
the old stage road was open over the Siskiyous.

----

'Twas
when the deer slept on the hillside, 'Twas when
the cougars and lynx hid in the bushes;Then coyotes, wildcats and cougars were
plenty, But away
and goodbye, they all had to pass.

----

Then
bear was there, yes there by the thousands, And they
roamed o'er the hills and lived fat as could be,But the hunters came west with their guns
and their traps, And killed
them off by the hundreds.

----

But
there was one old grizzly which they never could capture, And they
couldn't never get this bear into a trap,He would kill a cow, eat his lunch, then
off he'd go, Many of
the bear hunters was afraid of him, and of his track too,

----

From
Dead Indian to the Siskiyous he sure knew his range, And from
the Klamath River to Preston Peak too,And he'd stand in the bushes and watch
for the hunters, Then away
he'd go and ne'er stop to rest.

----

Bruce
Grieve went out with his forty-four and his forty-two-pound trap, He said he
would get him or he would know why,He caught the bear by two of his toes, But
somehow or other he pulled off his toes,

----

From
that time till now he was called old Reel Foot, A many a
time they set traps for him and guns too,And time and gain they thought they would
get him, But to
bring back Old Reel Foot the boys they did fail,

----

For
years and years they all tried to get him, But he'd
look back at the boys and give them the bear laugh,Till Billy Wright and Purl Bean said they
could get him, So out
they started in search for Reel Foot,

----

Billy
Wright with his old Spencer rifle, And Purl
Bean with his old forty-four Winchester,Then they seen him moseying over a ridge, They took
down their guns and began to fire.

----

When
the firing was done the bear was dead, And then
his cattle killing days was ended,The first shot from the old Spencer rifle Has proven
the only fatal shot.

----

The
old rust-covered Spencer rifle hangs on the wall still, The
grizzly bear days has gone by long, long ago,But those two oldtimers are still
dreaming in their cabins, Dreaming
of the wild and woolly frontier days that has gone by.

Mr. Henry
Newell informs us that it is estimated by Sprague River stockmen that
over forty head of cattle have been killed by grizzly bear since
spring. Jesse Parker killed one large bear and wounded another last
week. Owing to a misunderstanding as to the bounty, he quit the hunt
and returned home, promising to come back sometime in the future.--Examiner.Oregon
Sentinel, Jacksonville,
August 9, 1884, page 3

OLD
TWISTY.--That old bear, "Twisted Foot," has killed over five hundred
dollars' worth of cattle for Maj. Barron alone, besides what little
butchering he may have done for other stock owners. He is now supposed
to be an enormous cinnamon, instead of a grizzly, and the hunters are a
little more careful than they were when they thought him a grizzly.
When a man is up a tree he is safe from a grizzly, but the cinnamon
bears are good climbers, as well as most desperate fighters. "Twisty's"
foot leaves a track in the mud about the size of a Mexican sombrero,
and his teeth penetrate the skull and meet in the brain of a big steer
when he happens to make a square bite in his butchering business.Ashland
Tidings, September 12, 1884, page 3

BACK AGAIN.--The old
grizzly surnamed
"Old Twisted Foot," alias "Club Foot," who has preyed upon the cattle
in the Siskiyou and Cascade ranges for several years, was supposed to
have been killed by a set-gun trap last fall, but, lo, he turns up
again, and is now ready for another summer's campaign. Kennedy, the
Siskiyou bear sharp, would have sworn last year that Old Twisty had
received his death wound, but the fresh imprint of the familiar wounded
foot seen on the range last week convinces him that he was mistaken. He
says he'll have him this year, sure.Ashland
Tidings, May 8, 1885, page 3

The old grizzly
"Reel-Foot" killed a
young steer within one or two hundred yards of Howard's station the
other day. A reward of $150 is offered for his scalp, but he still
carries the scalp with him."Brevities,"
Ashland Tidings, June
12, 1885, page 3

W. S. Webb shot a
half-grizzly bear near
Howard's station last Saturday which was at first thought to be old
Reel Foot. It was a cross between a grizzly and a cinnamon, and had
been wounded in the foot--also carried a bullet in its hip which had
evidently been put there some years ago. Ed. Barron examined the
carcass and reported that it was not Reel Foot. It was a good bear to
kill, nevertheless--an old one which had no doubt killed some of the
stock charged to old Reel Foot's account. It was chasing Howard's hogs
when seen by Webb, and he gave it a center shot through the heart. The
bear straightened up on its haunches and then Webb shot it again, the
bullet entering its brain and laying Bruin out "cold.""Brevities,"
Ashland Tidings, June
19, 1885, page 3

The
Crippled Bear in Oregon,
for Whose Scalp a Reward of $150 Is Offered.

PORTLAND,
ORE., June 17.--Four
years since a monster grizzly bear commenced depredating the stock
ranches twenty miles south of Ashland. He would descend from the
fastnesses
of the Rogue River Mountains whenever his appetite might prompt him to
do so, and perpetrate wholesale slaughter on the horses, sheep and hogs
of the ranchmen. During these years the ranchmen have planted half a
dozen Winchester balls in his carcass, but still he refuses to succumb.
About a year since the grizzly walked
off, leaving a
good piece of his foot in a huge trap, cautiously prepared for him in a
thicket. Since then he has had a gait peculiarly his own, and the wary
huntsmen who have occasionally caught sight of him, but could not bring
him down, have given him the name of Grizzly Reel-Foot.
Last week he ambled down to Howard's
Station, on the
Oregon, Idaho & California stage line, and, breaking the back
of a
two-year-old steer, sat upon him and ate him for lunch. This
exasperated more than ever the ranchmen who had on divers occasions
been forced to beat hasty retreats when coming unexpectedly upon him.
They raised a purse of $150 for the Nimrod who would bring in the
grizzly's scalp. Several noted bear hunters, including Jim Wilson,
Harry Woodburn, Charley Taylor, and others, with trained dogs, are now
in search of him in his mountain resorts. His tracks measure fourteen
inches each,
and when he descends the hills through the underbrush he is said to
thrash the ground like a cyclone. His bulk is gigantic. Many aver that
he does not weigh an ounce less than a thousand pounds. He is an ugly,
vicious brute, and,
unless the hunters get him, the chances are even that he will get them.Ohio
Democrat, New Philadelphia, Ohio, July 2, 1885, page 2

W. S. Webb and Alex.
Zevely are still on
the trail of old "Reel Foot," and expect to bring in his scalp before
many days."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings, July 3, 1885, page 3

The California papers
are publishing as sober fact that yarn of the Chronicle about
Reel-foot being killed by a couple of counter-jumpers from San
Francisco. For the benefit of the editors who may be misled in this
important matter, we will state that Reelfoot still lives, and the $150
reward still is offered for his foot and head."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings, August 14, 1885, page 3

DO GRIZZLIES CLIMB TREES?A
Report Directly from California Showing That They Do.

San Francisco Chronicle. Two months since the citizens of
Howard's
Station offered $150 reward for the scalp of an immense grizzly bear
that had been depredating the stock ranches of Siskiyou County. The
bear's career as robber of the corrals extended over four years, his
last act being to kill a two-year-old steer, perch himself upon the
animal and proceed to make a meal of him. The reward impelled several
of the most noted bear hunters to look for him, but in a very wary way,
for Bruin had made mincemeat of a dozen or more dogs, besides being
alive and healthy after four Winchester balls had been planted in him
and after he had lost a portion of one of his feet in a great trap.
"Grizzly Reelfoot" has been the name by which he has since been known,
owing to his consequent ambling gait.
Thomas Jones and Charles Meredith went
up on the
California and Oregon Railroad two weeks ago for a hunt. They returned
yesterday, and report that Henry Woodburn and Link Wilson, of
Linkville, Oregon, with themselves, succeeded at last in killing him.
They got on his trail in the deep woods immediately south of Howard's
Station, and, with the aid of Wilson's four trained dogs, succeeded in
treeing him after following him through canyons and jungles for over
seven miles. Hearing the dogs baying, Wilson, who was in the lead,
rushed forward, only to find two of his favorite dogs lying dead on the
ground. Blood covered the bushes, and great shreds of flesh appeared
here and there. Looking upward, the bear appeared wending his way on a
distended limb about forty feet from the ground. He was showing his
teeth and growling fearfully. Wilson, quickly raising his gun, fired
twice in rapid succession, but without dislodging him. The other three
hunters then arriving, they also commenced firing, when the ponderous
brute dropped to the ground. He was immediately seized by the remaining
dogs, but, badly wounded as he was, he made a vicious fight, killing
one dog and tearing the coat of Meredith, who had ventured too near,
off his back. A final shot from Jones, however, finished him. The
grizzly weighed over 900 pounds.The
Critic, Logansport, Indiana, August 30, 1885, page 7

Grizzlies
Again.

Old
"Reel-foot," the grizzly that has killed so many cattle up in the
Siskiyous and Cascades during the past few years, is again making his
familiar tracks up at the head of Keene and Sampson creeks, and has
driven all the cattle down from that neighborhood to the low ranges in
the valley. Old "Reel-foot" is an expert butcher, and the cattle all
seem to know his reputation. A larger grizzly than he was killed last
Saturday on the east or south side of Bald Butte by one of the Grieve
boys, Joe Shepherd and others. He was first caught in a trap set in a
spring where he regularly drank and bathed. The trap was chained to a
fir tree over a foot in diameter, and the bear gnawed the tree in two
and dragged off a part of it to a hiding place in a dense thicket. By
the aid of dogs he was trailed and killed. He was an immense brute, and
rolling fat--having had a choice beef range, this side of the Klamath,
all winter.Ashland
Tidings, June 4, 1886, page 3

Some of Maj. Barron's
cattle driven down
from the mountains by old "Reel-foot" have the marks of big claws upon
them, showing that old Reel's hold slips sometimes."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings, June 4, 1886, page 3

After
"Old Reelfoot."

Wm.
Wright, of Henley, and a son of Mr. Bean, of Keene Creek, had an
exciting chase after a huge grizzly up among the great snowbanks of the
Siskiyous recently. They were looking for stock and found the track of
the bear and, concluding that it was old "Reelfoot" himself, thought
the present a good season of the year in which to capture his hide and
scalp and rid the range of his depredations. They came upon the bear
somewhere in the region of Bald Mountain, and gave him a good dose of
lead to begin with, but it didn't seem to damage him much, and he
started off on a long trip across the country, with the men after him.
They had snowshoes and the bear hadn't, and as he was compelled to plow
his way along, with the snow up to his throat much of the time, they
had the advantage of him, and were sure they would wind up his career.
But old "Reelfoot" has fate on his side, and the snowshoes of the
hunters soon "went back" on them and the bear made his escape, taking
with him, however, eight rifle balls deposited in various parts of his
thievish hulk. He was in good flesh and as strong as a grizzly can get,
or he would never have escaped. The reason of his good condition was
found in the discovery that his headquarters were in the midst of the
carcasses of some forty horses that had been caught in the deep snow
and perished during the winter.Ashland
Tiding, March 28, 1890, page 3

Two Bands of Horses Perish in the
Mountains.Ashland
Tidings.

Messrs. Wright and Bean, while in pursuit of the old grizzly known as
"Reel Foot" last week, found two bands of dead horses in the mountains
up near Pilot Rock. In one place they found forty-three dead animals,
and at the other place between fifty and sixty. Some of the horses had
plunged into the deep snow and died in a standing position. The old
grizzly had made camp right among them, and had an abundance of French
beef for his subsistence. The horses were from the ranches of the
Klamath River side of the mountains, belonging to Temple Horn and
others, and gathering together after the storms began, in the most
sheltered places, were soon surrounded with snow so deep that escape
became impossible. In their pangs of hunger they had eaten trees three
inches in diameter nearly through. The mountain storms always drive
cattle to the valleys, but horses perversely keep on ascending when the
storms come, unless followed and driven down by the ranchers. They were
looking for stock and found the track of the bear and, concluding that
it was "Reelfoot" himself, thought the present a good season of the
year in which to capture his hide and scalp and rid the range of his
depredations. They came upon the bear some, where in region of Bald
Mountain, and gave him a good dose of lead to begin with, but it didn't
seem to damage him much, and he started off on a long trip across the
country, with the men after him. They had snowshoes and the bear
hadn't, and as he was compelled to plow his way along, with the snow up
to his throat much of the time, they had the advantage of him and were
sure they would wind up his career. But old "Reelfoot" has fate on his
side, and the snowshoes of the hunters "went back" on them and the bear
made his escape, taking with him, however, eight rifle balls deposited
in various parts of his thievish hulk. He was in good flesh and as
strong as a grizzly can get, or he never would have escaped. The reason
of his good condition was found in the discovery that his headquarters
were in the midst of the carcasses of some forty horses that had been
caught in the deep snow and perished during the winter.The Eugene City
Guard, April 5, 1890, page 1

Many bears were called "Reelfoot" or "Clubfoot," but only the bear killed in the Siskiyous on April 10, 1890 was called both:

Old
Reelfoot Killed.

A Henley,
California correspondent sends us the following account of how old
"Reelfoot," the noted grizzly bear, the terror of the Siskiyous,
finally came to grief: "Last week a quartet of hunters, including a
famous local bear hunter, started out with a solid determination to
capture the old varmint or die in the attempt. They raised his majesty
near Pilot Rock, but he was too active for them, and before they could
come up with him night came on. The next morning Billy Wright and a boy
named Bean started early on the trail and soon came to a small canyon,
on the far side of which was a dense thicket. Feeling pretty sure that
bruin was in there, Billy skirmished around the head of the little
canyon, above the brush, and commenced to roll stones into the thicket.
The old fellow reared up on his hind legs and the boy made signs to
Billy, who returned at once, and none too soon, for the bear at once
started out. Just as he reached open ground Wright shot him through the
abdomen and he turned and charged on them. Just as he reached the
bottom of the canyon both hunters began firing and two balls pierced
the brute's heart. He kept on in his charge, however, and was within a
few feet of the boys when he began to stagger, and, striking his
shoulder against a juniper tree, he fell over dead. He is thought to
have weighed 1400 pounds, and the hunters displayed great coolness in
facing that amount of concentrated angry grizzly bear. He had lost the
toes off one foot in a trip many years ago, giving his foot a deformed
appearance, and for twelve long years has been a terror to stockmen.
Time and again hunting parties have been organized to run him down, but
none has been successful until now. Wright was offered $100 for the
hide, stuffed and mounted, but refused it, and with the assistance of
Mr. Grieve will preserve and prepare it for exhibition."Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, April 17, 1890, page 2

A FAMOUS BEAR.--The old
bear who has been
a terror to the stockmen of Jackson, Klamath and Siskiyou counties has
been killed. Jas. L. Coyle of Henley writes these particulars to the Yreka Journal:
Billy Wright and a boy named Bean killed the celebrated grizzly "Club
Foot" one day last week, about 7 miles from here. The cattlemen of this
vicinity had a bounty of $75 offered, and I understand a bounty of $100
or more was offered in Southern Oregon. Wright
and Bean found his track at 9
a.m. and
followed it until noon, when they located him in a thicket of scrub
oak, near Diehl Springs. Rocks were rolled down the hill, and the bear
came out. Both fired at the same time, and the grizzly fell,
but
immediately got up again and started for the boys. He got within thirty
or forty feet of them, and dropped dead. Ten shots were fired, and all
were
found in his body, two passing through his heart. He measured ten
inches between the ears and 18 inches from nose to top of head. The
toes were cut off in a trap seven or eight years ago, which gave him
the name
of "club foot." His track was unmistakable, and he has killed hundreds
of dollars worth of cattle in this vicinity and Southern Oregon in the
past twelve years. He weighed over 1400 pounds.Albany Daily
Democrat, Albany, Oregon, April 19, 1890, page 4

Killed "Reelfoot."

The Henley correspondent of the Yreka Journal says that
Billy Wright and the Bean boy, whom the Tidings two
weeks ago reported as starting out to capture old "Reelfoot," the king
of the grizzlies, killed the big bear about seven miles from Henley.
Says the correspondent:
"Wright and Bean found his track at 9
a.m. and
followed it until noon, when they located him in a thicket of scrub
oak, near Diehl Springs. Rocks were rolled down the hill, and the bear
came out. Both fired at [the] same time, and the grizzly fell, but
immediately got up again and started for the boys. He got within 30 or
40 feet of them and dropped dead. Ten shots were fired, and all were
found in his body, two passing through his heart. He measured ten
inches between the ears and 18 inches from nose to top of head. The
toes were cut off in a trap 7 or 8 years ago, which gave him the name
of "reel foot." His track was unmistakable, and he has killed hundreds
of dollars worth of cattle in this vicinity and Southern Oregon in the
past 12 years. He weighed over 1400 pounds. The boys skinned him
carefully, and intend having the hide stuffed for exhibition. He has
been systematically hunted for, for several years, and cattlemen
consider this a stroke of good luck, that he has been killed at last."Ashland
Tidings, April 18, 1890, page 3

J. Lomas, who is an experienced
taxidermist, so far
at least as big game goes, went over to Henley yesterday to stuff the
hide of the late "Reelfoot," the "holy terror" to the cattle of the
Siskiyou Range for a number of years past. "Reelfoot" has become an
"historical character," or at least a local celebrity, and it is a
matter of public interest to know that his proportions are to be
preserved for the inspection of future generations.Ashland
Tidings, May 16, 1890, page 3

Old Reel-Foot

ED. YREKA
JOURNAL.--Your
correspondent visited on Tuesday last the residence of Mr. Wright, one
of the slayers of "Old Reel Foot," and witnessed Mr. J. Lomas'
arrangements for stuffing and mounting the monster. This was
undoubtedly the king of grizzlies for this part of the world. Mr. Lomas
thinks he could not have weighed less than 2,000 pounds when killed.
Some of the fineness of a front view of his countenance is lost, from
the fact that his tusks or canine teeth are worn off to not more than
one-half inch in length. But what he lacks in teeth he makes up in
claws, which are simply immense. On one foot only two claws are left,
and Mr. Greave has the other three, which he left in a trap some years
ago, thus giving him the name of "Old Reel Foot." He will measure nine
feet in length, and probably could reach up twelve feet when standing
on his hind feet. It is the purpose of Mr. Wright and the boy Purl
Bean, who was largely instrumental in getting the bear, and who, by the
way, is not seventeen years old yet, and quite a hunter, to exhibit the
stuffed animal in Oregon and California this fall.
G.
Klamath City, May 23, 1890.Ashland
Tidings, May 30, 1890, page 3

"Reelfoot" on
Exhibition.

W.
A. Wright of Henley and Purl Bean of Jenny Creek, who killed the old
grizzly "Reelfoot" last April, had the skin of the monster stuffed and
mounted in the most lifelike manner, and had it on exhibition in the
Ashland grove all day on July 4th. The bear has become such a
historical character that everybody will want to take a look at him. He
was truly a monster, weighing over 1700 lbs., and being able to get
away with a full-grown steer, as he has done more than once. The
mounting is very skillfully done, and old "Reelfoot" looms up as big
and terrifying in appearance as when he used to follow his
butchering business in the Siskiyous and thought nothing of catching a
rifle bullet somewhere in his huge bulk occasionally, as he happened to
get within range of a daring hunter, says the Tidings.Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
July 11, 1890, page 1

Many citizens of Medford viewed the mounted remains of
"Old Reelfoot," the Siskiyou grizzly bear killed last winter, while the
owners had same on exhibition here during the week."Medford
Squibs," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, July 18, 1890, page 3 OLD "REEL FOOT."--The
two men who killed
the old grizzly bear "Reel Foot" had the stuffed skin on exhibition in
Eugene Wednesday and Thursday. The bear had been known for 27 years and
in that time had destroyed thousands of dollars worth of stock. They
secured the standing reward of $500 for killing him. A part of one of
his forefeet had been torn off in a trap which caused him to leave a
peculiar trail and gave him the name.
The Eugene City Guard, July 19, 1890, page 5

Some doubt is expressed
by the old
hunters in the Siskiyous as to the identity of Messrs. Wright &
Bean's stuffed "Reelfoot" with the real Siskiyou terror. As the old
fellow has not been heard of on the range since this one was killed,
however, the presumption is that the boys have the old depredator's
hide.
"Here and There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, August 1, 1890, page 3

March 30th Monday, 1891
I eat dinner at Mrs Deronzos and took
train back for
Medford there I attended to business till freight train south and Come
home at eight Oclock. I met Mr Hurley and Tom Guier come to Medford and
made the trade Mr Hurley to take possession right away. I borrowed of W
H Hurley ten dollars. A Man had a big black Bear on exhibition in
Medford
Been nice dayDiary
of Welborn Beeson, Talent, Oregon It isn't known if this was
Reelfoot, though it seems likely..

Each County Has a "Club-Foot."

A Siskiyou paper says that "Old Club-foot," the king grizzly of the
Sierras, will be one of the prominent features of the coming Fourth of
July celebration in Yreka. Without a doubt, Club-foot was the largest
grizzly bear ever killed west of the Rocky Mountains, and promises to
be an interesting attraction.The
Record-Union, Sacramento, June 16, 1891, page 3

Dwellers
above Shovel Creek
assert that the only and original grizzly bear called "Reelfoot" is
still living, and that the one killed over a year ago in that section
was only a distant cousin of the famous creature which outgeneraled a
generation of hunters. Certain it is that one of the genus now
operating in that region pursues very much the same line of tactics
that has always characterized the wily old brute. If it is not he, he
has a worthy successor."Here
and There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, June 26, 1891, page 3

"OLD REEL FOOT."A Story of the Siskiyou Range.

GRANTS
PASS, Ore., Dec. 26.--For many years the construction of a railway
across the Siskiyou Range was considered almost an impossibility. The
Southern Pacific Company, however, did undertake and carry through the
work, and now the trader can sit at his ease and view some of the
grandest mountain scenery of the Pacific coast.
Previous to the completion of the road
people
crossed the long gap in stages. In many instances the stage and all the
passengers were robbed at points in the mountains, which at that period
were full of hiding places and retreats for robbers and grizzlies. Now
the robbers no longer molest and make afraid, though an occasional
grizzly may still be found in the high, wooded elevations that overlook
Ashland and the head of the Rogue River Valley. The last one killed
there was a fierce monster called "Old Reel Foot," because of a
peculiar reeling motion he had when walking or running, owing to a loss
of several of the toes of his left forefoot in a trap.
For many years "Old Reel Foot" was the
scourge of
the Siskiyou and Cascade Mountain ranchers. He killed for one rancher
alone no less than $1,500 worth of stock, and the arena of his
depredations embraced a territory some 100 miles long by 50 in width.
He was liable to turn up by night as
suddenly and
unexpectedly as the "James boys" used to in the Missouri River regions,
and after tapping the jugular vein of a heifer, steer or cow, and
drinking the blood, would disappear and remain away for months, for he
never returned to make a second meal from the same victim, like most
other bears and beasts of prey.
He was fat, unusually large, and, as he
grew old,
very unwieldy in appearance. And yet no creature that haunted the
mountains could excel him in getting out of harm's way. It was next to
impossible to follow him with hounds, because the dogs that once
survived his intimate acquaintance were always glad to let him alone
forever afterwards. The hunters dreaded seeking him alone, for he had
several times turned upon the pursuer and caused him to flee from the
wrath to come and seek salvation in the arms of some friendly tree. But
as the boldest and luckiest beast of prey--in the woods as well as in
the wheat and stock markets--at last crosses the deadline of doom, so
"Old Reel Foot" met his fate at the hands of two hunters, a father and
son, who sought him with their Winchesters early one morning in the
spring of 1890.
"Old Reel Foot" had called at a ranch
the night
previous and left his familiar card and autograph in the form of a dead
three-year-old steer bearing the well-known throat marks, and the
hunters "loaded for bear" and followed his trail.
They were moving quietly along near the
bottom of a
gully when they heard a loud snort and looking across the hollow and up
the slope they saw "Reel Foot" not over 150 yards away turning to look
at them as he deliberately retreated.
They took good aim and fired
simultaneously, both balls striking him.
With a horrible and deafening roar that
fairly shook
the fir trees, he turned and came rushing, or rather tumbling and
tearing, down towards his foes, snapping and biting at everything in
his way.
In the meantime the two men kept up
their part of
the business, well knowing that the fight meant death to them both
unless the brute died before reaching them. When within about twenty
yards, the creature rose on his hind feet and paused for a final
charge, his mouth open, revealing all his fangs, and his little red
eyes ablaze with fury. But just as he uttered his last war whoop two
balls pierced his heart, and, with a mighty lunge, he rolled over dead
at the very feet of his slayers.
The fact that he weighed some eighteen
hundred
pounds will give some faint idea of his formidableness as game, as it
also proves that the eastern black bear hunts, to which the New York Sun used
to give so much space, are mere squirrel play as compared to grizzly
hunting in the Siskiyous.
"Reel Foot's" age could not have been
less than
fifty years. He had been shot at scores of times in the past quarter of
a century, and his carcass carried enough cold lead to load a whole
regiment of Mark Twain's "jumping frogs."
His captors mounted the skin and
exhibited the
stuffed emblem of competition all up and down the coast last summer,
and crowds visited the tent and felt well paid for their "two bits
apiece, please."James
G. Clark, St. Paul
Daily Globe, December 27, 1891, page 11

J.
K. Leabo has bought
of Bean, the bear hunter who captured and killed the famous grizzly
bear "Reelfoot" a year or two ago, his boss bear dog, "Watch," who took
such an important part in the chase after this destructive old grizzly.
"Watch" is a big savage fellow, and Leabo calculates to catch a few
bears with him himself this season. Leabo says he paid $50 for the dog."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings, May 6, 1892, page 3

Old Reelfoot, the dead grizzly which was
such a terror to stockmen in the Siskiyous during his lifetime, and
which is now being paraded about the country in his mounted condition,
will participate in the coming 4th of July parade at Yreka."Here and There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, June 24, 1892, page 3

Old Reelfoot, the terror of the
Siskiyous, is sure to be heard of all over the continent before his
skin wears out. He has been properly mounted and will be exhibited at
the coming California fair at Sacramento, and after that will be taken
east and be in attendance at the world's fair at Chicago next year, in
company with the small boy who made him bite the dust."Here and There," Democratic Times, Jacksonville,
August 19, 1892, page 3

W. A. Wright, the
Henley hunter, who with
Purl Bean killed the celebrated grizzly bear "Reel Foot," intends
taking his carcass to the state fair at Sacramento and then to the
world's fair. The Journal
says
of him: His measurement at the time of his death showed that he was 8
feet 7½ inches from tip to tip; between ears 14 inches;
height
while standing, 4 feet 9 inches; weight 1892 lbs. In death as in life,
he is still an object of interest to the public, but less troublesome
to the stock men of northern California and southern Oregon. At the
last two 4th of July celebrations in Yreka, under the management of the
N.S.G.W., "Old Club Foot" was exhibited on a float drawn by four mules,
in forming a picture representing the great seal of the state of
California, with a young lady seated in a chair, and a miner at work
with pick, shovel and pan.

"Brevity
Basket," Valley Record,
Ashland, August 25,
1892, page 3

Purl Bean sold his half interest in the
dead
grizzly, Reelfoot, to J. L. Coyle for $250. W. A. Wright has been
exhibiting him in California on his way to the Sacramento fair.

"Brevity
Basket," Valley Record,
Ashland, September
8, 1892, page 3

Old Reelfoot, the
monster grizzly, which
was killed in the Cascades a few years ago, and has been on exhibition
in northern California for some time, has been purchased by P. H.
Donehue [sic],
who intends to
exhibit the beast at Chicago next year."Brevity Basket," Valley
Record, Ashland, November 17, 1892, page 3

[According to the final
report
of the California pavilion at the Chicago World's fair there were two
stuffed grizzlies in the pavilion. They're pictured on pages 29 and 51;
their donors are indexed in the end papers. Neither is Reelfoot. It's
possible that Reelfoot was exhibited independently.]

Wm. A. Wright has
returned to Henley
after a trip through California with "Old Club Foot." Billy has decided
that traveling in a wagon across the United States is too slow and will
wait until spring to take a trip by rail and be on hand for the world's
fair."Personal and
Social," Valley
Record, Ashland, November 24, 1892, page 3

W. A. Wright, of
Henley,
who had been on a tour through California with the stuffed grizzly, Old
Reelfoot, returned home recently, and P. H. Donoghue brought the bear
show over to Ashland last week, putting up the tent near the railroad
depot to catch dimes from passengers who have leisure time for
sightseeing while the train stops thirty minutes for refreshments. The
mounted grizzly hide is owned by several Hornbrook men, and they will
probably sell it to someone who wants to take it to the Chicago fair on
a speculation venture."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings, November 25, 1892, page 3

Old Reelfoot, the
stuffed Siskiyou
wonder, has been doing duty as a dime-catcher at the Ashland depot
lately during the dull season, while he is recuperating for the labors
incident to exhibition next summer at the Chicago fair. Patsy Donohue
now has him in charge."Here
and There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, December
2, 1892, page 3

P. H. Donoghue has been
trying to
organize a joint stock company to capitalize the celebrated grizzly
"Reelfoot," at $50 per share, and take the stony-hearted monarch of the
forest up to the world's fair exposition. But Pat found it a difficult
job and says the people haven't a proper regard for local pride and
home curiosities."Brevities Basket," Valley
Record, Ashland, December 8, 1892, page 3

WORLD'S FAIR COMMISSION.Only Business of Minor Importance Transacted.

There as a brief session of the World's Fair Commission held yesterday
morning at its office in the Flood Building. The principal business
done was to withdraw an allotment of 391 square feet from the Placer
County exhibit, placing the space at the disposal of the board. By this
arrangement Placer keeps 1107 square feet of floor area.
Commissioner Daggett reported that a
squaw and a
buck from the Siskiyou Mountains would take part in the state's Indian
exhibit, providing their fares to Chicago and return should be paid and
they should be given the privilege of selling their baskets and other
curiosities.
Commissioner Daggett was instructed to
procure a
stuffed bear from the Cottonwood district of Siskiyou County to exhibit
in the state building. The bear is a fine specimen of the grizzly, and
was known as "Clubfoot" to the early herders whose sheep and cattle he
overran.San
Francisco Chronicle, December 18, 1892, page 22

Old Reelfoot, the
famous grizzly stuffed
with straw, has been bought by Abbott, the man who had his head
tomahawked by Martin, and has been shipped away somewhere. Reports as
to the price paid vary from $200 to $600. The property was owned by
roadmaster Burkhalter and others of Hornbrook."Brevities," Ashland
Tidings, December 23, 1892, page 3

Geo. Abbott has bought
the carcass of old
Reelfoot, the grizzly terror of the Siskiyous, and will take it east
for the purposes of exhibition."Here
and There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, December
30, 1892,
page 3

Geo. Abbott will show
old Reelfoot at the
world's fair in a few months behind a piece of canvas sign painting
that is a stunner. The artist, H. S. Evans, will not have to depend on
his fame being in the hands of connoisseurs, for his production will be
constantly before the public at the Columbian exposition in the most
conspicuous possible place."Here
and There," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, January
20, 1893, page 3

. . . on one pedestal
will stand in
stuffed grandeur the biggest grizzly bear ever killed in the state, and
on an onyx pedestal opposite a bust of Mary Anderson, who is a native
of California."California at the Fair," Daily Advocate, Newark,
Ohio, February 13, 1893, page 6 There were at least two stuffed
bears in the California
Building at the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition in 1893.
Neither of the two seen in photographs was Reelfoot.

The stuffed carcass of "Old Reelfoot,"
the huge grizzly who was the terror of the Cascade region for so long,
was exhibited in Jacksonville during the week by Abbott &
Evans,
who propose taking it to the World's Fair. They also had a big eagle on
exhibition. Reelfoot was probably the largest bear ever captured on the
Pacific coast."Local
Notes," Democratic
Times, Jacksonville, April 7, 1893, page 3

Portland People

Should see the old
reel-foot
grizzly bear, the largest ever captured in this country, now on
exhibition at 68 North Third Street, with the great freak J. E. Barnum,
with the largest eagle ever captured. Admission, adults 10¢;
children 5¢.Oregonian,
Portland,
May 2, 1893, page 5

The stuffed carcass of
"Old Reelfoot,"
the huge grizzly which was the terror of the Cascade region for nearly
a century, will be taken to the world's fair. This was the largest bear
ever captured on the Pacific coast, his weight being 3,200 pounds."Items in Brief," The
Dalles Times-Mountaineer, May
6, 1893, page 1

"Old Reel Foot."

"Old
Reel Foot" was the name of a bear that has struck terror
to the heart of many a rancher in the Siskiyous in years agone. This
bear was a very large one and frequently slaughtered large beeves. He
was hunted by many hardy trappers on various occasions, and always came
off first best, except in one instance where he lost one of the claws
and injured one of his forefeet. Thereafter he had a limping gait
and could be traced by a peculiar track which established his
identity.
This largest of grizzlies was ever after most wary, and so cute had he
become that on one occasion, it is related, when a bait of fresh meat
had been artfully arranged on a suspended limb so as to discharge the
contents of a gun into him, he stationed himself on the other side of
the tree, pulled the bait to one side and downward, the tree being
between him and the bait. The charge struck the ground and "Reel Foot"
got the prize. Later he was killed by a party of three, and a dangerous
bit of work it was. For the last three years he has been on exhibition
in various coast towns, and is today in The Dalles. He will be taken to
the world's fair.The
Dalles Daily Chronicle, May 9, 1893, page 3

Old Reel Foot Stuffed.Pendleton East
Oregonian.

The
stuffed bear which was on exhibition last week seems to have a history.
His name was "Old Reel Foot," and while in the flesh he struck terror
to the heart of many a rancher in the Siskiyous for years agone. This
bear was a very large one and frequently slaughtered large beeves. He
was hunted by many hardy trappers on various occasions, and always came
off first best, except in one instance where he lost one of the claws
and injured one of his forefeet. Thereafter he had a limping gait, and
he could be traced by a peculiar track which established his identity.
This largest of grizzlies was ever after most wary, and so cute had he
become that on one occasion, it is related, when a bait of fresh meat
had been artfully arranged on a suspended limb so as to discharge the
contents of a gun into him, he stationed himself on the other side of
the tree, pulled the bait to one side and downward, the tree being
between him and the bait. The charge struck the ground and "Reel Foot"
got the prize. Later he was killed by a party of three, and a dangerous
bit of work it was.Oregonian,
Portland,
May 29, 1893, page 2

Circus at Weiser.

Signal:
A pilgrim with a tent has been running a
circus in
town for several days. He has a stuffed grizzly and a sore arm [sic] on exhibition
at 15 cents the round trip.Owyhee
Avalanche, Silver City, Idaho, June 10, 1893, page 2

OREGON'S MOST FAMOUS BEAR.Sensational Career of a Giant Grizzly.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN:--Sir: I read the
editorial upon "American Game" in today's Sun. I always read
The Sun--when
I can get it--and next to the Portland
Oregonian I
think it is the greatest newspaper in America; but that has nothing,
however, to do with the "game." Being an Oregonian, my heart naturally
swelled at your allusion to the great state which rolls and thunders to
the music of her own poet down to the sea, the headwaters of whose
mighty river, the Columbia, exchange the whispered confidences with the
bubbling springs that give birth to the Father of Waters on the
backbone of the continent, the giant Rockies.
The average citizen knows little of
Oregon and less
of its attractions, its superb climate, its rich valleys, its
stupendous mountain ranges, its cloud-piercing symmetrical peaks, its
virgin forests, and last, but not least, the incentive of this screed,
its game. And of all the state there is no part that excels in all the
desirable attributes as does the Rogue River Valley, down in the
southwestern part of the state, separated from California by the
golden-ribbed Siskiyou Mountains and celebrated in story and legend as
the Italy of America--a very truthful description, if you will select
only the very best parts of Italy for comparison--a valley quite as
large in area as the state from which I write, but not so well known.
However, that may come later.
Now for real game and a variety the
Rogue River
Valley (a corruption by impertinent Anglicization of the Canadian
voyageurs' Rouge Riviere by the first Yankee diggers of the abundant
and flaky gold out of its "red" banks) [Pracht is mistaken about the
derivation of the name]
is not equaled by any portion of the United States--the four ranges of
mountains which enclose it, the Coast Range on the west, the Rogue
River Mountains on the north, the Cascades on the east, and the
Siskiyous on the south, being the home of the cat, the panther,
mountain lion, the deer-elk, the black cinnamon [bear] and that king of
beasts the yet unconquered grizzly bear, with innumerable smaller
varieties of such satellites as should grace the court and furnish the
larder of his regal court with pheasants, grouse, mountain and valley
quail, pelicans, geese and ducks, with salmon and trout everywhere, it
is and should be known as a very hunter's paradise. It is so common an
occurrence for mere boys to go out in the morning from one of the
numerous prosperous towns in the valley and return the same day with
one or more deer or black bear as a reward for their tramp that it
excites no comment, but there was one old grizzly who for a score of
years defied all sorts of traps and shooting irons, and lorded it over
the denizens of the forests on the northern flanks of the Siskiyous,
until nature in one of her angry moods played him false and assisted
wily, puny man to his undoing, and his name goes down into history as
"Old Reelfoot," and his fame is being perpetrated in story and song,
and his immense hide, scarred with years of conflict, is an attraction
in a museum. Perhaps thirty years ago, when the world yet was
young to him, and an occasional calf or bullock out of a settler's herd
a temptation hard to be resisted, the episode happened which ever after
gave him a name. He walked into and then walked off with the largest
and strongest-jawed bear trap that ever was set out, and as he could
not wrench it off he carried it about with him until it rusted away and
broke, but left him with a forefoot turned sideways and claws
enormously grown, so that ever after his trail was plain to the veriest
tyro, and he became known as "Old Reelfoot."
The number of hunters who hunted and
found him, some
to their grief, and the quantity of lead he had pumped into him (at
long range) is almost incredible. With advancing years his appetite
seemed to grow and his temper to sour, and Old Reelfoot became a terror
to beasts and a nightmare to men. When the unusually heavy snow of the
winter of '91 cut off a band of horses which had been feeding out in
the "Dead Indian" country and little by little they made their way to
the base of Pilot Rock--a natural monument that rises hundreds of feet
out of the crest of the Siskiyous clear and clean, like the sword of
King Arthur out of the lake--here they found a shelter from the icy
blast, here they were found by Old Reelfoot, and here after days of
search by their owners they were found all together--Old Reelfoot
sleek, fat and contented, the few horses yet left out of a band of
about forty that had not yet passed in their checks to their keeper,
terrorized and starving under the mighty banks of snow which towered
over them on three sides, and Reelfoot asleep under the ice of Pilot
Rock; and to this day it is a mooted question: "Did Old Reelfoot die of
a surfeit or did the contents of the magazines of the two 45-90 [sic] Winchesters in
the hands of the vaqueros lead him down so he could not get away?"
And conclusions differ. There is much
evidence
adduced on both sides of the question, and the visitor from the East is
allowed to find his own verdict. When brought into Ashland and his
carcass weighed, it was said to weigh over 2,000 pounds, but as to the
correctness of this I cannot say. I was not there to see him weighed.

MAX
PRACHT, of Oregon.133 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET, Jan. 13.

The Sun, New
York
City, January 20, 1895, page 7

[The Native Sons of the Golden West]
headquarters in Sacramento will be lavishly decorated. The huge stuffed
grizzly which was part of California's World's Fair exhibit will be
given a prominent position in the decorations."Plans
of Local Natives," San
Francisco Call, August 23, 1895, page 7

Married--In Medford,
Nov. 28th, Mr. Pearl
Bean, of Siskiyou County, Calif., and Miss Etta Brown, of Jackson
County. Mr. Bean is a mining man of the above-named place and quite
well to do. All their friends are extending congratulations and best
wishes to the happy couple."Kane Creek Items," Medford
Mail, December
7, 1900, page 3

Pearl Bean, who has been ill with the
measles, has so far recovered as to be about again."Kane Creek Items," Medford Mail, January
24, 1902, page 5 Mr. and Mrs. Purl Bean
and children,
accompanied by Miss Ethel Brown, left on Monday's train for California,
at which place they will remain. Mr. Bean has mining property near
Henley, which he intends to develop this summer."Kane Creek Items," Medford
Mail, March
28, 1902, page 5

The Slayer of Old Reelfoot

It is not generally known that Purl Bean, who lives on Kane Creek
about seven miles from Gold Hill, is one of the two men who were "in at
the death" of "Old Reelfoot," a famous grizzly that ranged Southern
Oregon about twenty years ago. The big bear was killed by Mr. Bean and
W. A. Wright, now a Klamath County cattleman. During a recent visit to
Jackson County Mr. Wright told the story. The carcass was mounted and
exhibited in towns through the Pacific Northwest. While in Washington a
traveling man saw the dead grizzly and conceived the idea of taking him
to the Chicago world's fair. He bought "Old Reelfoot" and made money by
showing him at the big fair. Altogether Mr. Wright realized about $800
on his exploitation and sale of the remains of the old terror of the
Siskiyous.Gold
Hill News, December 3, 1910, page 1

Duel Lands One in Jail and One in
Hospital[Special
Dispatch to The Call]

YREKA,
Aug. 28.--George Miller, twice wounded by bullets, is in the county
hospital, and William A. Wright, the man behind the gun, is in the
county jail as the result of a shooting that occurred yesterday morning
near the Siskiyou Power Company's plant on Klamath River, near Jenny
Creek.
The two men met on a train. No one saw
the shooting. Miller tells one story and Wright is reticent.
Miller was shot once over the eye and
once in the shoulder. He will recover.San
Francisco Call, August 29, 1911, page 4

KLAMATH TRAGEDY
William A. Wright, Slayer of the Famous Grizzly Reelfoot,
Mortally Wounds George Miller

A
recent dispatch from Hornbrook says: As a climax to a long-standing
feud between two of its well-known citizens, William A. Wright, for
forty-two years a resident of Mountain township, is here in the custody
of Constable C. L. Hughes, charged with attempted murder, while George
Miller, his victim, is at Yreka, with one eye torn away and another
bullet through his shoulder. He will recover.
Wright was on horseback and Miller was
in a wagon
when they met on a lonely highway. Each realized it was a question of
who could shoot the most quickly.
After the shooting Wright went to his
home and sent
word to the brother of the wounded man where he would find Miller. Then
Wright started for this place, thirteen miles distant, to surrender
himself.
Wright refused to go into the details of
his trouble
with Miller or to describe the final scene further than to say the
quarrel began with lawsuits, which grew more and more bitter.
Wright is 60 years old and has a family.
Miller,
aged 35, has a large family and is one of a family of boys who are very
clannistic.Valley
Record, Ashland, August 30, 1911, page 1

H. H. Lampman of the
Hill Billy Ranch
caught and killed "Old Clubfoot," the largest bear in the Asbestos
section. This old bear had his left hind foot clubbed and has been
prowling over the hills of the Umpqua country for the last generation,
and is well known to anyone who has ever hunted in that section. Many
hunters have followed his trail without success. He was killed stealing
pigs on the Hill Billy Ranch. He weighed 450 pounds."Local and Personal," Medford Sun, April
18, 1915, page 8

PURL RILEY BEAN PASSES SUDDENLY
OF HEART ATTACK

Purl
Riley Bean, 63, husband of Mrs. Etta Bean, passed away very suddenly
from a heart attack at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Leon White, on
Kings Highway Friday evening, November 5.
Mr. Bean was born in Independence, Ore.,
Feb. 14,
1874. With his parents he came to southern Oregon at an early age, and
had spent his entire life in southern Oregon and northern California.
He was united in marriage to Etta Brown
in
Jacksonville, Oregon Nov. 27, 1900. His wife and nine children survive.
Mr. Bean's father was an early pioneer
of this
district, coming to northern California in 1852. He was a cousin of two
well-known and respected citizens of Oregon, the past utilities
commissioner Louis Bean and Robert Bean, federal probation judge at
Portland. Mr. Bean was an old hunting partner of John B. Griffin, and
was a member of the party that killed the famous large grizzly bear on
the Siskiyou Mountains in 1890.
Mr. Bean was a miner and spent all his
life at that
occupation. He leaves many friends and neighbors who will grieve at his
passing and will miss him very much.
He leaves, besides his wife Etta, seven
daughters,
Mrs. Rose Shaffer and Mrs. Lillie Nelson, Weed, Calif.; Mrs. Francis
White, Medford; Mrs. Pearl Keffel and Mrs. Vera Johnston, Mt. Shasta,
Calif.; Mrs. Elsie Shaffer, Grants Pass, Ore.; and Mrs. Edna Sherler of
Seattle, Wash. Two sons, Robert Bean, Medford, and Fred Bean, Salt Lake
City, Utah; two sisters, Mrs. Lottie Mackey, Callahan, Cal., and Mrs.
Emma Brown, Izee, Oregon, and one brother, Hank Bean, Yreka, Calif.
Funeral services will be held at the
Perl Funeral
Home Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., Rev. Sherman L. Divine officiating.
Interment will be in the Medford I.O.O.F. cemetery.Medford
Mail Tribune, November 8, 1937, page 3

It Was Wright Not Griffin

To
the Editor:
I would like to have this mistake
corrected in the
papers. It was printed in the death notice of Purl Riley Bean. He was a
hunting partner of William A. Wright and not John B.
Griffin.
He and Mr. Wright were hunting alone when they came upon the grizzly
bear which they had trailed for nearly a month, Mr. Bean being the one
that fired the shot that killed the bear known as old "reel foot."
The bear was killed on April 10, 1890.
This is at the family's request.

MRS.
WHITE.

Medford, Nov. 15.Medford
Mail Tribune, November 16, 1937, page 6

One of the most interesting stories I
have ever worked up is that concerning one "Clubfoot," a monstrous
grizzly that roamed the Siskiyous for many years.
Securing authentic data concerning this giant bear
has taken me nearly three years and innumerable trips through two
states, besides an endless amount of correspondence. The story as I now
have it has been authenticated to an extent that it may be considered
bona fide in all details, with the possible exception of his exact
weight, which was never accurately known. I have seen, set and sprung
the huge trap in which he was first caught nearly ninety years ago. I
have held in my hand one of the three claws which he lost when he
wrenched out of the trap, so deforming his foot as to make his track
always recognizable and gave him the name of "Clubfoot." I have talked
with the wife (still living) of one of the two men who killed him and
with the nephew of the other. I have handled the gun and I have talked
to a man who as a boy watched the stuffing of the great pelt--for
stuffed it was, not mounted. But now I have almost told the story.
Clubfoot first emerged on the page of history when
he stampeded the horses of Fremont's expedition in the mountains of
Southern Oregon in the fateful year of 1846. This record is indistinct
but possible. Ten years later he was definitely on the record when the
Grieve brothers, living on the Klamath River, captured him in a bear
trap about a mile from their cabin. They could plainly hear the growls
and roars. Taking their dogs they went out to finish him, but as they
approached he wrenched loose and fled, leaving three claws and part of
his right forefoot. This loss branded him for life, causing his foot to
turn over and leave a track which could always be recognized.
His tracks around slaughtered livestock were found
from the extreme eastern tip of the Siskiyous to the foothills of the
Coast Range.
Each spring he made his raids on ranches around
Humboldt Bay; each fall found him killing stock in the shadow of Pilot
Rock, one hundred and fifty miles airline and three watersheds distant.
Stockmen put up heavy offers for his scalp, but
Clubfoot never again was to be caught in a trap. He delighted, however,
in robbing sets made for his benefit and invariably escaped without
springing the trap.
During the next thirty years stories of Clubfoot
were the ever-present topic for conversation wherever men stopped to
pass the breeze in three counties and two states.
In the spring of 1882 a sheepherder named J. D.
Williams witnessed one of the dramas which must have been quite usual
in Clubfoot's life. Williams was herding sheep on a hillside. Below him
in the glade cattle were quietly feeding, led by a big bull owned by
David Horn.
Suddenly the herder observed a giant grizzly which
he later confirmed as being Clubfoot creeping cautiously toward the
unsuspecting cattle.
Suddenly he charged for a calf. The mother attempted
to defend her young, but was laid helpless with one stroke.
The bull then charged down upon Clubfoot, and a
terrible struggle ensued. The bear was knocked into the brush by the
impact of the enraged bull. He arose and charged again and again and
finally seizing the bull by the nose and, with a powerful twist, broke
the bull's neck.
With the retreating snows of April, 1890, Clubfoot
met his nemesis in the shape of a young lad named Purl Bean and his
hunting companion, William A. Wright. They were near neighbors on Camp
Creek, a tributary of the Upper Klamath River. Hunting together, they
came on the tracks of Clubfoot in the soft, mushy snow.
At first the older man advised against following the
trail through the heavy going alone, but the seventeen-year-old would
not listen to advice. So against the better judgment of the older man
they struck off along the still-steaming trace of the big grizzly.
Within an hour they came within sight of him as he plowed through the
snow up the far slope of the creek. They fired and Clubfoot whirled in
his tracks and charged; again they fired, and again, and Clubfoot now
was across the creek and hurtling toward them, eighteen hundred pounds
of maddened brute force. There was no turning now, only fire, fire,
fire, as fast as the old 50-70 Sharps could spit its little leaden
slug--so much lead and so little powder behind it! So much bear and
that vital heart so deeply buried!
The bear lay dead at their feet! Neither could have
told coherently what had happened in the past ten seconds.
Clubfoot's adventures, however, did not end with his
death. He was mounted by more or less amateur taxidermists in the
little town of Ashland near the head of the Rogue River Valley in
Southern Oregon. Up and down the West Coast he was exhibited until
finally he wound up in Portland. Here he was sold for $500.00.
In 1892 came the dazzling Columbian Exposition in
Chicago. Here Clubfoot hid in [a] canvas tent while the barker outside
described the man-eating grizzly--"To be seen within for one time--ten
cents, step right up, please."
From Chicago Clubfoot traveled to Europe with a
certain Dr. Jordan. The last record we have of him is a yellowed
newspaper article that tells of his being exhibited at all the
principal cities in a grand tour of the continent.
That he ever came back to America is doubtful.
Museums have been searched without result. Some rumors have it that he
was destroyed in the fire following San Francisco's great disaster of
1906. This could have happened--however, there is nothing to indicate
that Clubfoot was in the city.
The records of Clubfoot's size are unverified except
that from his picture we may gauge them to be quite reasonable. This
picture is a reasonable copy of a photograph of the bear as he was
exhibited at the World's Fair. The retouching simply added the spark to
the eye and the hump in the back which the inexperienced taxidermists
were unable to secure. In fact, mounted, Clubfoot looked exactly as
though his skin had been pulled over a log.
His weight has been given as anywhere from 1850 to 2250 pounds. A. E. Doney says of his other measurements:
"One morning I drove to the depot office where I was
given the stuffed hide and mounted frame of the large grizzly bear,
Clubfoot. I stood beside it, taking his measure as I would a horse.
"I judged his height at shoulder to be four feet
eight inches, twelve inches between the ears, eight inches between
eyes, and eight feet from tip of nose to tail. His teeth were short and
blunt from hard usage."
Symbolic perhaps of the fate of all of his kind, the
only remains of this magnificent grizzly now consists of the one claw
still in the possession of the Grieve family. Perhaps we should
consider as part of Clubfoot the quart measure of lead bullets in the
possession of the Bean family which were recovered when he was skinned,
souvenirs of his forty years up and down California.George R. Schrader, "The Grizzly Bear of California," 1946 Yearbook, Siskiyou County Historical Society, pages 15-18

Siskiyou Hunter Tells New Version
of Clubfoot Story

MONTAGUE, Siskiyou Co., Sept. 11.--Joseph V. Hessig suggested today
that the ghost of Clubfoot be laid. Clubfoot is the famed bear which no
one has been able to find in London, England, or Paris, France, where
he has been reported during the last year. He was killed in1890 near
Hornbrook.
Hessig is the county's mightiest bear
hunter. He has
been hunting them for 58 years with his own dogs, killed four last year
and plans on a couple more this winter.
Hessig's story follows:
In the first place, the bear they are
making the
fuss over is not Clubfoot, but Reelfoot. Clubfoot ranged Butte Valley
from the eastern edge of the Cascade Mountains into Modoc County. He
had one foot taken off by a trap and was poisoned near the old Dorris
Ranch in Butte Valley in the early 1890s.

Saw Steer Killed

Charlie
Lough was coming into the ranch one evening and heard a steer bawling
up on a ridge. He went up and saw the immense bear had the steer by the
nose and was beating it with his paws.
The next morning Lough and others found
the steer
dead, with his shoulder and neck partly eaten. They filled the carcass
with strychnine, and the next morning found Clubfoot dead. That was the
end of the grizzly known as Clubfoot.
Reelfoot, the grizzly mistakenly called
Clubfoot,
was a more intelligent animal. He ranged from Camp Creek, near
Hornbrook, to the eastern edge of the Cascades but did not trespass on
the real Clubfoot's territory.

Caught in Trap

Russ
Grieves of Hornbrook caught Reelfoot in a trap, probably in the 1870s.
He left two of his toes in the trap, and George Grieves of Eureka,
Humboldt County, has them yet. Reelfoot lost several teeth and damaged
others trying to tear the trap off.
Reelfoot was so bold he killed a milk
cow on the old
Varnum place once just a short distance from the corral. He seldom went
back to a carcass the second time, which was why ranchers were unable
to poison him.
When William Wright and Purl Bean killed
Reelfoot in
1890 they had him mounted and exhibited him in a wooden box with the
sides let down. He changed hands several times.
Finally Frank Pickard, Wright's
father-in-law, owned him.

Tired of Bear

Pickard,
like previous private owners, became tired of the old bear because he
brought in little money at 25 cents a look.
The Academy of Science was then nearing
completion
in San Francisco. Newspapers devoted columns to its wonders, including
a mastodon. Its staff scoured the country for big, stuffed animals. At
this time Pickard sold Reelfoot for approximately $250.
Hessig was attending school in San
Francisco when
the academy opened. He visited it and saw two grizzly bears,
one
of which he is positive was Reelfoot.
The bear was in the same box with the
sides let down he had seen before, but he had deteriorated badly.
In 1906 the academy and all of its
contents burned to the ground.
Hessig feels sure that that was the end
of the
2,000-pound, horse-killing grizzly correctly known as Reelfoot.Sacramento
Bee, September 11, 1950, page 18

Trap Which Caught Reelfoot, Famed Grizzly, Is Missing

COPCO, Siskiyou
Co., March 2.--The trap which cost Reelfoot, the scourge of the
Siskiyous, two toes in 1870 is missing, and the owner is willing to pay
a $25 reward for its return and will ask no questions.
Reelfoot, sometimes known as Clubfoot,
was a
2,000-pound grizzly bear which ranged from Hornbrook to the eastern
edge of the Cascade Mountains, slaughtering settlers [sic],
horses and cattle. Twenty years before he finally was shot by William
A. Wright and Purl Bean in 1890 near Hornbrook, Reelfoot was trapped.
He lost a few teeth and two toes freeing himself, but he did escape.
George F. Wright, nephew of W. A., who
inherited the
trap, came here from the old Wright ranch on the Oregon line to
announce the theft. He said that while the trap is one of the largest
ever built for bears and is very rare, he prizes it principally as an
historical memento and museum piece. The trap bears his brand, G-8-W,
on the bottom. The brand is registered with the Oregon State Game
Commission.
Reelfoot got back into the news in 1949
and last
year after servicemen returning from Paris and London reported they had
seen the old grizzly's stuffed replica in museums. A search of both
cities failed to substantiate the stories.
Reelfoot, after his demise at the hands
of Wright
and Bean, was stuffed and exhibited in cities throughout the state. His
earthly remains disappeared about the time of the San Francisco fire of
1906.Sacramento
Bee, March 2, 1951, page 23

One
Giant Grizzly
Gatherings of old-timers in Siskiyou
County are
getting fewer and far between, reports Alex J. Rosborough this week
from his Yreka home. "But," he says, "when they do occur you can bet a
good part of the conversation will turn to hunting and fishing as it
was in the early days. Those were the days when steelhead and salmon
were speared and smoked, or salted down for home consumption. And men
armed with muzzle-loaders stalked the muletail bucks, ducks and geese
and last, but by no means least, the bear. Siskiyou with its wooded
mountains and beautiful valley lands was filled with deer, antelope,
mountain sheep and elk, and its streams teemed with fish. All of which
made it the natural habitat of the bear--black, brown and grizzly. King
of all was the grizzly, feared alike by Indians, trappers, ranchers and
miners. I recall a period in the early 1900s, when we were securing
property and water rights to build the old Siskiyou Power Company's
first plant on Fall Creek, we frequently traveled a wagon road that
took us past the Grieves' place in a little flat on Jenny Creek. I got
to know the family well as a result of these excursions. One of the
boys, like myself, was interested in collecting Indian relics and was
adept at not only locating specimens but was an expert in making
obsidian (flint) arrow and spear heads. Like neighboring ranchers, the
Grieves owned numerous head of cattle, sheep and some horses. And when
the stock started to disappear the Grieve boys set out a large steel
bear trap about a mile from their home. It wasn't long until they were
rewarded with the roaring of a bear caught in the trap. They grabbed
their guns and went out to shoot him, but before they got near enough
the huge animal, with one great roar and effort, tore himself from the
trap and made his escape in the thick brush. Examination of the trap
revealed the bear had torn off and left behind, in the jaws of the
trap, three claws and a part of his right foot. From that time on any
stock killings made by this big fellow were easily recognized. He
quickly became known as 'Club Foot.'"A Bull and a Bear
"Whenever a beef or other critter was
killed,
ranchers would invariably find the prints of 'Club Foot,'" Rosborough
relates. "It was evident that he roamed a great expanse of territory,
his clubfoot prints telling of visits all the way from the upper
reaches of the Klamath River to the slopes facing the Pacific Ocean--a
straight line distance of not less than 150 miles. He seemed to kill,
eat and move on. Stockmen soon posted offers of a bounty for his kill.
J. D. Williams, a sheepherder, told of witnessing a fierce fight to the
finish between 'Club Foot' and a giant, enraged bull. It was in 1882.
Williams, as usual, identified the bear by the prints in the battle
arena after the fight was over. The bull was owned by David Horn, after
whom the town of Hornbrook was named. The killer bear sneaked up on the
band of cattle and singled out a nice young calf for his meal. The
mother of the calf answered her young one's call for help and ran to
its defense, only to be knocked dead by a smashing blow dealt by the
bear. The big bull, apparently enraged at the audacity of the bear,
charged with lowered head and hit the bear broadside. He knocked the
big raider over all right, but the bear regained his feet and a
terrific fight ensued. It ended only when the big grizzly got hold of
the bear's nose and, swinging his great weight, gave a twist that broke
the bull's neck."He Meets His Masters
"The snow had begun to melt in April,
1890,"
continues Rosborough, "when William A. Wright and Purl Bean, neighbors
on Camp Creek, were out hunting for deer and ran onto the track of
'Club Foot,' the imprint of his half foot leaving no doubt as to his
identity. The track was fresh, and the two hunters talked a short time
on the advisability of 'nailing' him. Finally they decided to take up
the track and follow the big beast, accepting the chance of making a
kill. They followed his tracks for an hour before they caught sight of
him slowly making his way through some open brush across the creek.
Being well within range they opened fire. Double hit by the first two
shots, the big bear whirled, spotted the attackers and with great roars
charged the hunters. His ton of weight crashed the brush, and with
snapping teeth he came across the creek into the face of two
ball-spitting 50-70 Sharps rifles, handled by expert hunters. Both
riflemen stood their ground and pumped lead into the weakening monster,
hoping some bullet would find a vital spot. And one did. Wicked old
'Club Foot' fell dead almost at their feet."Club Foot's Travels
"Word that the giant, stock-killing
grizzly had been
killed went out, and every rancher from Klamath Lake to the Pacific
Ocean who had suffered a stock loss in raids by the killer wanted to
have a look at him. Many gathered to see 'Club Foot,' but no scales
were available. However, many of the cattlemen, expert in approximating
the weight of steers, declared his weight to be in the neighborhood of
2,000 ponds. He was mounted in Ashland, Oregon, and measurements made
by A. E. Doney were as follows: From tip of nose to tail, eight feet;
height at shoulder, four feet, eight inches; between the ears, 12
inches; between the eyes, eight inches. His teeth were short and blunt
from hard usage. 'Club Foot' was then taken on travels up and down the
West Coast for exhibit in towns and villages. Finally, in Portland, he
was sold for $500. In 1892 he visited the Columbian Exposition in
Chicago. Then his owner, a Dr. Jordan, took him for a trip to Europe,
where they visited all the principal cities. Somewhere 'over there'
Club Foot got lost. All that remains in Siskiyou County as a memory of
the biggest of grizzlies is one claw in the possession of the Grieve
family, and a quart measure of bullets, kept by the Bean family, which
were recovered from the big bear's body when he was skinned. Most of
the bullets were the silent witnesses of the many times he had not been
killed."Oakland Tribune, March
14, 1954, page 71

"Clubfoot" or "Realfoot"

A dead bear comes back to haunt Alex Rosborough this week as a result
of the Yreka scribe's recent story about "Clubfoot," that seemingly
bulletproof animal of more than half a century ago. Mrs. Almon Price of
Martinez says his name wasn't "Clubfoot" but "Realfoot" instead. "I'm
convinced Mr. Rosborough quoted a little too rashly from memory, as we
all do after many years," she writes. "The Purl Bean family lived near
us on a ranch near Holland, Oregon, and as you can well imagine, our
favorite pastime was having Mr. Bean tell us about the final death of
old 'Realfoot.' . . . The hunt and the end for old 'Realfoot' came
south of Ashland at Pilot Rock, which can be seen from the main highway
now on top of the Siskiyou Mountains. My grandfather, Joseph Lane
Sowell, took my mother and her two brothers, John and Frank, to see old
'Realfoot' when he was on exhibit in Medford. . . . John was only 3
years old. He took one look, let out a yell and really took off for
home. . . . The last time we saw 'Realfoot' was in June, 1931. My
grandfather had come to Martinez to visit, and his only wish was to go
to the deYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park and see old 'Realfoot' just
once more. It was a wonderful day for him and brought back many
wonderful memories. Soon after that the old bear was sent to Seattle
for a celebration and they just sort of forgot to send him back. . . .
My great-grandfather, John Harrison Sowell, was a guide on the plains
for many years before he married and settled on Althouse
Creek
in Josephine County, Oregon. You can well imagine the wonderful stories
cherished by all of us, stories of his many adventures and of his life
among the Indians. The Bean girls and I have had many happy hours
exchanging stories. Elsie Bean married my first sweetheart, David
Shaffer, so you can see why the story of old 'Realfoot' brought back a
flood of memories. We have enjoyed thinking about the big grizzly once
more."Oakland
Tribune, April 18, 1954, page 59

What's in a Name?

"A rose by any
other name would smell as sweet," writes Alex J. Rosborough of Yreka
after reading a recent issue of The Knave in which Mrs. Almon Price of
Martinez questioned his memory regarding "Clubfoot," giant Siskiyou
County grizzly of some years ago. Mrs. Price said she remembered the
big bear as "Realfoot." "As Al Smith used to say, 'Let's look at the
record,'" the Yreka scribe reports, "There was a time when old Clubfoot
was referred to as 'Realfoot' and even 'Reelfoot,' whatever that meant.
But after he left three claws and part of his left front foot in the
big steel trap, the name Clubfoot was universally applied. And when his
stuffed self was shown about the country the show people advertised him
as 'Clubfoot--that great grizzly from Siskiyou.' It was Pedro Smith,
who lived on a ranch near Little Pilot, who went over and told Billy
Wright that Clubfoot was in the neighborhood. The big bear, known by
his club foot, killed and had eaten a calf near Smith's place. And it
was Tom Shearer who while hunting deer took a shot at old Clubfoot with
his muzzle-loader to put another shot in the old bear's hulking body,
only to be immediately charged by the insulted grizzly. Shearer ran for
his life down the mountain, the angry bear in hot pursuit. Shearer
swung around a big tree and Clubfoot raced by to an empty trail on down
the mountain while Tom ran back up the hill and escaped. Gordon Jacobs'
father was building some barns below Cole's Springs, and being a great
hunter, he would go up to the springs with his gun at a certain time of
day, certain that he would find a deer to kill. While on this
particular job he killed 20 deer. But one day he slipped up to the
spring and was surprised at not finding any deer around. Instead he saw
old Clubfoot taking a mud bath. Because he only had a muzzle-loader he
took no chances on firing at the big beast, but later he checked the
bear's tracks, and they proved old Clubfoot was the visitor."He Roams Again
"After old Clubfoot was 'stuffed,'"
continues
Rosborough, "A. E. Doney, the Fish and Game representative from this
Siskiyou County section, went to Ashland and gave the huge bear a good
measuring up. Those were the measurements I mentioned in the original
Clubfoot story of last March 14. After that, old Clubfoot began his
professional show life. He had been 'stuffed' at Ashland, Oregon, and
it was a very poor job of mounting, so 'stuffed' is a very good word
for the job. Finally, after being shown around various towns hereabout,
he settled down for a time on the front porch of the store at
Hornbrook. Everyone going that way always stopped to have a look at the
old grizzly, so it was only natural that Clubfoot's fame spread far and
near. His earlier name of Realfoot or Reelfoot was already lost and
forgotten by then. In the 1946 issue of the Siskiyou County Historical
Society's yearbook, editor George R. Schrader wrote an interesting
article about the old grizzly. He never mentioned the big fellow by any
name other than Clubfoot. When I was in Chicago with the delegation
that nominated Grover Cleveland for President in 1892, the Centennial
Exposition was in progress there, and I went out to the exposition
grounds for a visit. Our old friend Clubfoot was there ahead of me. He
was on exhibition. It was later reported that a Dr. Jordan took
Clubfoot to Europe for display. But I was in Europe in 1910 and visited
museums in England and in France, and I never ran across Clubfoot."Finis on Clubfoot
"Along about 1926 or 1927 a personal
friend of
Gordon Jacobs told him of having seen old Clubfoot in the DeYoung
Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Because a search for the
giant 'stuffed' bear had been going on for some time on two continents,
Mr. Jacobs made it a point in 1929 to visit the DeYoung Museum and see
Clubfoot once again. The bear was not there. Mr. Jacobs made it a point
to hunt up the curator. They went around and looked at all the mounted
bears on exhibit, but Clubfoot was not among them. Then the curator got
out the museum records. Sure enough, the records showed Clubfoot was
not there and had never been there. Even the big trap in which old
Clubfoot lost three of his toes and part of his foot has disappeared.
It was stolen some years ago, and although a substantial reward was
offered for its return, like old Clubfoot it is lost to sight and
memory dear."Oakland
Tribune, May 9, 1954, page 67

Tracking
Clubfoot Again
Rosborough also reports this week that
the story of
Clubfoot has now reached Europe. "The following letter has just been
received by airmail from a friend also interested in finding Clubfoot,
that greatest of all Siskiyou County grizzlies," he writes. The epistle
from abroad states: "I found a guide in the British Museum that has
seen him and believes Clubfoot is in the museum's basement somewhere.
But to see him I will first have to make a weekday visit to the museum
and see the man in charge of that section. I feel quite certain that
the bear is among the thousands of items in possession of the museum.
But they've advised me it will take a bit of searching, and I hope they
will let me do the searching. When I'm positive the bear is there I
will let you know," the correspondent declared.Oakland
Tribune, May 30, 1954, page 53

Clubfoot
Clubfoot, California's most famous bear,
has disappeared, but not so the trap that crippled him.
Ernest J. Howell, 66, of 1530 66th Ave.,
disputes
the report that the trap was stolen many years ago and never recovered.
It has been in possession of his family
for more
than 60 years, Howell reports, and he dug the trap out of storage at
San Luis Obispo to prove it.
The trap was made by John Howell,
grandfather of the
Oakland man. He was a pioneer blacksmith who came to California in
1846, lived for a time in Siskiyou County, then settled at St. Helena,
where he had the distinction of having a mountain named for him. Later
he moved to San Luis Obispo.
Howell forged the trap by hand, using
steel from the
tires of wagons that had crossed the plains. It has an 18-inch spread
and two springs, so powerful a bar must be used to depress them in
setting the trap.
The giant grizzly that had slaughtered
cattle and
fought men all over the northern part of the state was caught in the
trap but fought himself free. He left three claws and part of a front
foot in the trap, and thereafter was known as Clubfoot.
The bear was finally killed in April,
1890, by
hunters. He weighed 2,000 pounds and measured eight feet from nose to
tail. His height at the shoulders was 4 feet 8 inches. The distance
between his ears was 12 inches, between his eyes 8 inches.
Clubfoot was stuffed and for years was
exhibited up
and down the Coast. He was on display at the Columbian Exposition at
Chicago in 1892, and even made a trip to Europe.
Eventually he disappeared, and no one
seems to know what happened to him.
But the trap that gave him his name
still exists.
Howell had it on display at the recent centennial observance at St.
Helena."Daily
Knave," Oakland
Tribune, November 12, 1954, page 29

Old
Clubfoot
Is Old Clubfoot, the grizzly bear that
terrorized
Northern California back in the 1880s, reposing in some nook of the
Smithsonian Institution?
That's a possibility, according to Dr.
F. Leslie Herrick of Livermore.
Herrick was interested in a recent item
reporting
that Ernest J. Howell, 1530 166th Ave., still has the trap that
temporarily caught the bear. The bear broke loose, leaving a chunk of a
front foot in the trap, and thereafter was known as Clubfoot.
But Herrick thinks he may be able to
solve the old
mystery of what happened to Clubfoot after he was finally killed by
hunters, stuffed and exhibited around the world. Oldtimers say all they
know is that the bear disappeared.
Herrick recalls that his grandparents,
pioneers of
Humboldt County, had a huge stuffed bear they called Clubfoot which was
shown at the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1892 and eventually
sold to the Smithsonian Institution. [This bear is visible in a photo
of the Humboldt County exhibit, on page 29 here
(and referred to in the index on page 179). It isn't the bear pictured
above.]
He isn't sure that it was the famous
Clubfoot, but he thinks that's possible.
Herrick was a rather small boy at the
time, but he
still recalls escapades with his grandmother's bear which was fitted
with a bellows that would emit a roar, and had its jaws hinged so they
could be opened by a pull on a string.
He delighted in manipulating the bear to
startle
visitors. Herrick claims Clubfoot, with his help, frightened even more
people after he was stuffed than when he was alive."Daily Knave," Oakland
Tribune, November 22, 1954, page 29

More About Reel Foot

To the Editor: Commenting on the letter of Bert Kissinger on Old Reel
Foot, killed by Purl Bean:
I met Purl Bean in 1926 and became well
acquainted
with him; we opened up the old Bolen placer mine as partners. He also
had a mine two miles east of Bolen Lake, and I made a trip with him to
it in March, 1927. At this time an old friend of Bean's, Jess Barnett,
was operating a shooter on a high channel at the mouth of Grizzly
Gulch. When Purl asked if he was taking out anything he pointed to the
end of the sluice box at a quart fruit jar full of nuggets as large as
the end of one's thumb, with a large nugget lying on top that would not
go in the jar.
We continued our trip up Grizzly to the
top, walking
over the tops of tall trees on the frozen snow to his cabin on the
divide, just east of Bolen Lake, where he showed me pictures of Old
Reel Foot and several newspaper articles. Purl said that a reward of
$1,400 had been offered for the bear, of which he received $400.
Bean was asked to take the bear to
Chicago for the
World's Fair; however, it was sent to San Francisco, where I had the
pleasure of seeing the last big grizzly in the Ferry Building.
Yes, if one met Old Reel Foot in the
woods he would
look like two tons instead of the 1800 that Purl said he weighed.

Elwood Hussey
Cave Junction, Ore.

Medford Mail Tribune, February
14, 1957, page 4

More on Old "Reel-Foot"

To the Editor: I would like to add my knowledge to the history of Old
"Reel Foot," the grizzly bear. I heard the story many times from my
father, James B. Brown, and many other bear hunters. Old "Reel Foot"
was caught in a bear trap, injured his foot, lost a couple of toes. His
foot reeled sideways when he walked. Seven hunters surrounded him. He
was shot at 36 times with 40x82 and 45x90 caliber Winchester rifles.
They were closing in on him. He was headed toward a young man and his
partner, 18 years of age. The bear turn his head to look at the other
men, and was shot directly in the ear with a 45.90 slug. In 1893 my
aunt, Josie Hurd, told me "Reel Foot" was at Corvallis, Ore. The bear
weighed 1,800 pounds, was 48 inches high; his forehead was 18 inches
across.